On the morning of April 3, the Korean Minister of Internal Affairs said that the government is ready to change the medical school admission policy if there is a better proposal.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min made this statement during a government response meeting, amid continuing conflicts with the medical community.
“Government policies are always open. If better opinions with a strong rationale are given, decisions can change for the better,” Lee noted.
He also emphasized the government’s health reform and necessary tasks to protect people’s health and lives.
The Minister once again called on interns to return to work, emphasizing that they will listen and evaluate more seriously as they continue to treat patients.
Many major hospitals in South Korea have significantly reduced surgeries, outpatient and emergency services as the majority of intern doctors, an important part of the medical workforce, have quit their jobs to protest since last year. February.
The government remains open to holding negotiations with doctors to find a unified and reasonable solution, although there are no clear signs of changing the decision to increase enrollment targets.
Interior Minister Lee Sang-min spoke at a government response meeting in Seoul on March 14. Image: Yonhap
The strike has had a profound impact on the Korean healthcare system. Since April 1, medical professors at many university hospitals across the country have begun reducing their working hours. Some tertiary hospitals (the highest level) have limited outpatient examinations due to lack of staff. More than half of surgeries for cancer patients are postponed.
The Emergency Response Committee, representing the medical faculties of more than 20 medical schools nationwide, including major schools such as Seoul National University, Yonsei University and Ulsan University, announces if 24-hour duty is required. , the doctors will take the next day off. Doctors at private clinics also announced they would protest “legally” by reducing working hours to the prescribed limit of 40 hours per week.
More than 90% of the country’s 13,000 intern doctors have been on strike since February 20 to protest the government’s decision to increase medical school admission quotas by 2,000. From March 25, medical professors and senior doctors also announced a collective resignation and reduced hours to support their students.
Adding 2,000 medical student places is a move to solve the problem of an aging population, while increasing the number of doctors and nurses in essential fields. However, striking doctors argue that increasing quotas will affect the quality of education and medical services, and create a surplus of doctors. They believe that officials should increase remuneration and bonuses for doctors so that medical staff can feel secure working in “unpopular” industry groups.
Thuc Linh (Theo Yonhap)