[Editorial] Prolonged disruptions

S. Korea must address expanding medical service vacuum to avoid ‘system collapse’

Last week, a pregnant woman gave birth inside an ambulance. The disheartening incident came as four hospitals had refused her, citing a lack of medical staff or beds in their emergency rooms, according to rescue officials in North Chungcheong Province.

It is widely feared that such dire situations involving patients in emergency and critical conditions may occur across the nation more frequently unless the government tackles the escalating medical service disruptions started by its plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota.

The confrontation between doctors and the government over the policy resulted in a severe shortage of medical staff at general hospitals and other medical institutions. This is inevitable because more than 12,000 junior doctors -- medical interns and residents -- staged a walkout in protest of the government’s plan in February, and only a fraction of them have returned to their hospitals despite repeated pleas from the government.

The impact of the protracted medical service disruptions cannot be ignored any longer. People are frustrated by the lack of medical staff and the increasing difficulty of arranging surgeries and seeking hospital treatment. Doctors, nurses and hospital staff are also struggling with worsening conditions.

The government has to acknowledge the dreadful reality in which people are literally suffering, and without a major breakthrough, the entire medical service system could suffer an irrevocable breakdown.

A case in point is the fast spread of COVID-19 in recent weeks, as part of a summertime surge that adds more pressure to an already overburdened medical services sector. Medical authorities reported that the number of hospitalizations linked to the coronavirus has been on the rise, citing limited statistics after the government lowered the infection level of the disease and removed most antivirus regulations. The problem is that a far greater number of people beyond the superficial figures may have been infected and need proper treatment.

Particularly of concern are those with underlying conditions and the elderly. The already understaffed hospitals cannot properly care for vulnerable groups who need proper treatment in connection with the new strain of COVID-19. Young and healthy people can recover relatively quickly when their symptoms are mild. The same virus strain can be deadly for the elderly and people with chronic diseases, especially when they miss timely treatment to block possible complications.

Unfortunately for the public and the medical sector, things are likely to worsen.

On Saturday, the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union, which has some 30,000 nurses and medical workers as members, said that 91 percent of its members voted to launch a strike this week.

Their demands include the restoration of the crippled medical system as a result of the walkout by trainee doctors and a 6.4 percent pay raise. If the labor arbitration fails to hammer out a compromise, the union members are expected to go on strike from Thursday.

In case nurses and medical workers -- those who have bolstered medical services in the absence of trainee doctors for months -- join the strike, the problems stemming from the medical services vacuum will become more serious and widespread. The union said those working in emergency rooms and intensive care units will not take part in the walkout, but it seems unavoidable that patients will encounter more inconveniences.

Another sign of a looming medical service crisis intertwined with the possible strike is the financial troubles at major hospitals. About 3 in 4 training hospitals are reportedly in emergency management mode due to the shortage of medical staff.

Some experts warn that emergency rooms across the nation may face a chaotic situation in handling an influx of COVID-19 patients around the Chuseok holiday in mid-September. The worst scenario is the mass shutdowns of emergency rooms after failing to take in patients amid the shortage of both doctors and nurses -- a much-dreaded collapse of a critical medical system. The government must take prompt and effective actions to prevent the extended medical service vacuum from spiraling out of control in a way that puts the country’s entire medical system in jeopardy.

By Korea Herald(khnews@heraldcorp.com)