[Report] Despite Emergency Room Resident Strike... There Was No Medical Crisis

On the First Day of Collective Strike at Major Seoul University Hospitals

Waiting Times Increased but Most Operate Normally
Low Risk of Medical Crisis in Emergency and Essential Services

On the 7th, when residents began a 24-hour collective strike, the electronic bulletin board at Yonsei Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, displayed the medical schedule. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporters Cho Hyun-ui, Jung Dong-hoon, Lee Jung-yoon] "There is usually this much of a waiting line when it gets busy."

The feared medical vacuum was not significant. On the morning of the 7th, when interns and residents nationwide began a collective strike in protest of the expansion of medical school quotas, major university hospitals in Seoul operated as usual in a calm atmosphere. Professors and nurses filled the vacancies left by the residents. It appears that the medical crisis the government feared will not occur even in essential areas such as emergency rooms.

At around 7:12 a.m. that day, five 119 ambulances were lined up in front of the emergency room at Sinchon Severance Hospital in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. The newly arrived ambulances parked closely up to the emergency room entrance in the queue and hurriedly transferred patients. Several patients on mobile stretchers waited their turn in front of the emergency room entrance. An emergency room official explained, "It is true that the situation is slower than usual, but when it gets busy, there is this much of a waiting line." When revisited at 8:15 a.m., the staff were efficiently guiding patients, and the waiting time had significantly decreased.

A Sinchon Severance Hospital official said, "The impact of the residents' collective strike does not seem to be significant," adding, "Professors are handling outpatient care, and although professors and nurses are busier, preparations have also been made for surgeries and wards." At this hospital, general dermatology outpatient care, usually handled by third- and fourth-year residents, was also conducted that morning.

On the same day, at the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital in Seocho-gu, Seoul, the medical service gap was also minimal. Although 255 out of 298 residents participated in the strike, professors and clinical instructors were deployed in clinical departments where resident vacancies occurred, such as inpatient wards, emergency rooms, and intensive care units. A Seoul St. Mary's Hospital official said, "It should not be a major problem for just one day." Since residents do not participate in outpatient care at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, patients visiting the hospital for treatment did not experience significant inconvenience. The situation was similar at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Although the waiting list and estimated waiting time display board showed messages like "10-minute consultation delay," the hospital explained that this was not an unusual situation.

The management of inpatients, which residents usually handle, was also not greatly affected. Sinchon Severance Hospital has a dedicated inpatient specialist system, so internal medicine specialists have been professionally caring for inpatients in wards instead of residents. Seoul St. Mary's Hospital assigned professors to each ward for inpatient management.

One of the areas affected when resident manpower is withdrawn is the surgery schedule. Whether disruptions occurred depended on the availability and preparedness of substitute personnel at each hospital. Seoul National University Hospital had no disruptions in surgery schedules, but about 18 surgeries were rescheduled at Samsung Medical Center. A hospital industry official said, "The role of residents during surgery is at a backup level," adding, "They can be replaced by other personnel."

On the 7th, when residents began a 24-hour group strike, medical staff were busy moving around at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

However, in some hospitals, as the government warned the day before, waiting times were confirmed to be longer. At 9 a.m., when outpatient care began, more than 200 patients were waiting in front of the internal medicine clinic in the main building of Seoul National University Hospital. One patient waiting for treatment said, "It seems like we are waiting 20 to 30 minutes longer than usual."

The collective strike, continuing until 7 a.m. on the 8th, involved 70-80% of the approximately 16,000 residents training at about 200 hospitals nationwide. They plan to gather in large numbers at Yeouido, Seoul, at 2 p.m. that day for a large-scale rally.

The government maintained its existing stance of resolving the issue through dialogue. With the Korean Medical Association's general strike scheduled for the 14th, the government is concerned about the prolonged medical vacuum.

The conflict between the government and the medical community began on the 23rd of last month when the ruling party announced a plan to increase medical school admissions by 400 students annually for ten years starting from the 2022 academic year. The government argues that expanding medical school quotas is necessary to address the shortage of doctors in regional medical institutions, but the medical community strongly opposes this.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.