Doctors start indefinite walkout as gov’t rejects final demands

Jun 17, 2024, 09:38 am

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Prime Minister Han Duk-soo speaks during a meeting regarding the planned doctors’ walkout at Government Complex in Seoul on June 16, 2024./ Source: Yonhap

AsiaToday reporter Han Jae-yoon

Disruptions in a medical system is expected to worsen as doctors at major hospitals including Seoul National University (SNU) Hospital plan to stage a collective walkout this week, after the government on Sunday rejected the doctors’ final proposal to abandon plans to increase medical school enrollment quotas.

According to the emergency response committee of SNU medical professors on Sunday, 529 professors, accounting for 54.7 percent of the total, plan to indefinitely suspend their hospital-related work, including the treatment of outpatients and conducting surgeries. With the suspension, the surgery room operation rate of three hospitals, including SNU Hospital, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, and Boramae Hospital, is expected to drop from the current 62.7 percent to 33.5 percent. The walkout is expected to add to the discomfort as all 20 clinical departments at hospitals under SNU will participate.

As SNU and the Korean Medical Association (KMA) as well as doctors at the so-called Big Five hospitals – the country’s five largest medical centers – did not withdraw their decision to take a collective leave of absence, the government expressed its position to proceed with medical reform in accordance with laws and principles.

“Unlimited freedom of medical profession cannot be allowed,” Prime Minister Han Duk-soo said during a government meeting on the response to the doctors’ walkout. Han reiterated that the government will not accept the medical community’s demand for re-discussion from scratch to increase the number of medical school seats, revise the state’s essential health care package, cancel all executive orders imposed on trainee doctors and medical students, and halt all judicial proceedings against them. “It is difficult to accept the request to completely nullify a measure we took in line with the Constitution and the law,” the prime minister said.

“I express deep regret that even as sick patients are appealing with their tears for you to stop your collective walkout, the medical community has not changed its decision,” Han said.

According to the medical community, starting with the indefinite walkout by SNU medical professors, the KMA and the Big Five hospitals will either stage a walkout or discuss staging walkouts. The SNU Hospital has stopped its entire clinical and normal treatment. On Tuesday, the KMA plans to lead a day-long medical leave and hold a doctors’ general meeting nationwide.

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