Number of returning resident doctors 'very low'

Striking trainees, instead, seek jobs at local clinics or prepare to run private medical practices, reports say

A medical worker walks in a hallway at a general hospital in Seoul on Monday. (Yonhap)

With the job opening for junior doctors' September training closing Wednesday, the government once again urged them to return to patient care, as many striking trainees remain lukewarm about resuming their duties.

During Tuesday's government response meeting, Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong made the final plea to trainee doctors to apply for the post, asking them to "take courage" for patients waiting for them.

"The government took appeasement steps by providing special considerations (for those reapplying for training programs in September) to minimize disruptions in health care, but very few junior doctors have submitted applications until now," Cho stressed, without announcing the exact figure.

The remark comes a week after local training hospitals began posting job openings on July 22 to recruit 7,645 candidates -- 2,525 interns and 5,120 residents -- who will begin training on September 1 despite medical professors' warnings of boycotting training programs in protest of the government's push for the quota hike.

The minister added that the government would "thoroughly examine" why those who have resigned are reluctant to return to their worksites. He noted that the government will roll out a blueprint for medical reform late next month that includes improving working conditions for junior doctors.

In a separate briefing later in the day, Kim Kook-il, who heads the emergency response team under the Health Ministry, told reporters that the "deeply rooted distrust" between the medical circle and the government is preventing junior doctors from making returns.

"We will tackle this problem by accomplishing medical reforms so that both sides can overcome the lack of trust," he said, renewing the government's commitment to accelerate efforts in improving health care.

Despite continued efforts to bring them back, junior doctors are showing little signs of return.

According to reports, three out of the five "Big 5" hospitals had received zero applicants, while the other two had only received a handful of candidates as of Monday afternoon. Instead, many are seeking jobs at local clinics as general practitioners or preparing to open their own clinics.

To support them, the Seoul Medical Association held a four-hour session on how to start and run a private medical practice on Sunday, with some 100 junior doctors in attendance. The SMA plans to organize a similar lecture on Aug. 11.

In addition, the Korean Medical Practitioners Association and Korean Medical Association, the largest doctors' group here with some 140,000 members, plan to help junior doctors land jobs at community hospitals by advertising job openings on hiring platforms.

By Park Jun-hee(junheee@heraldcorp.com)