South Korea doctors offer to resign amid spat with government, raising worries about medical service
ABC News
Trainee doctors in South Korea have begun resigning en masse in protest of a government plan to increase the number of medical students
SEOUL, South Korea -- Trainee doctors in South Korea began resigning en masse Monday in protest of a government medical policy, causing reported delays in surgeries and other treatments at hospitals, though no major disruption in the country's medical service has yet occurred.
Doctors’ groups and the government have been squabbling over a government plan to increase the number of medical school admissions by 2,000, starting from next year.
Health authorities say it’s urgent to have more doctors considering South Korea's fast-aging population. They say the number of doctors in the country relative to the size of the population is among the lowest in the developed world.
But doctors’ groups say the government must use available resources to raise medical fees and resolve other problems first. Some doctors say the government plan could eventually result in doctors locked in competition, performing unnecessary medical treatments and posing a burden to the public health insurance plan.
On Monday, trainee doctors at the country’s five major hospitals began submitting letters of resignation before formally walking off their jobs the next day. Their association, the Korea Intern Resident Association, had determined to take such a collective action during an emergency meeting last week.
