The licenses of 7,000 protesting trainee doctors were suspended in South Korea

Park Min-soo, Deputy Minister of Health of South Korea, today (Monday, March 14) regarding the protest of 9,000 trainee doctors against the plan to increase the medical student quota by 2,000, stated: the government Seoul suspended “irreversibly” the licenses of seven thousand trainee doctors who defied the government’s order to return to work.

He stated that the government is steadfast in its actions and added: The strike of interns and medical assistants, who play a vital role in the surgery and emergency services of large hospitals, led to the cancellation and delay of these services in these two important departments. .

The public warning to doctors is the latest sign that the South Korean government is sticking to its tough stance on trainee doctors who quit or criticize the reform plan.

The Seoul government had announced last Thursday as the deadline for doctors to return to work or face fines, but data from South Korea’s health ministry showed that more than two-thirds of trainee doctors (9,000) ignored the request.

In this regard, Park stressed that only 565 of the 9,000 protesting doctors have returned to work.

Physicians are subject to suspension of their medical license for up to one year or may face up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won (equivalent to 22,455 US dollars) for not complying with government orders.

Previously, the local police raided the office of the medical association on March 1 (March 11), which is an official holiday in South Korea.

The government insists on increasing the number of doctors as a way to address the shortage of doctors in rural areas and essential medical fields such as pediatrics and neurosurgery, as well as considering the extremely aging population.

Medical associations strongly object to the plan to increase the admission capacity of medical schools by 2,000 people and say that this action only reduces the quality of education without addressing basic issues such as low salaries and benefits and high risks of medical malpractice.

Source: IRNA