[D-1 Doctors' General Strike] Emergency Rooms and Operating Rooms Face Actual Gaps... Patients Anxiously Waiting

On the 21st, a resident undergoing training at a general hospital, such as an intern or resident, is holding a solo protest in front of the main building of Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, opposing the government's policy to expand the quota of medical school students. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Lee Jeong-im (63), who lives in Gangdong-gu, Seoul, is very worried as her appointment at a large hospital, made two months ago, has been postponed. She needs to check the prognosis and get a prescription for medication following a tumor surgery she underwent two years ago, but the schedule was changed to September due to her attending physician's availability. Lee said, "I don't know if I will be able to receive treatment as planned next month," expressing her anxiety.

The medical community, including the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Society of Specialists, and the Korean Interns and Residents Association, has decided to hold a nationwide second doctors' strike from the 26th to the 28th in opposition to the government's medical policies such as expanding medical school quotas and establishing a public medical school. As the day when all doctors nationwide?from university hospital residents and specialists to local clinic physicians?will stop working approaches, actual confusion is occurring in medical settings, as in Lee's case.

Unlike the collective sick leave by residents on the 7th or the first nationwide doctors' strike on the 14th, this second collective sick leave will involve doctors from all professional categories, so it is expected that gaps in emergency patient care and operating rooms will be larger than before.

In some places, concerns have already materialized. Samsung Seoul Hospital reduced the scale of medical services on the 24th by postponing 10 non-urgent surgeries and reducing new admissions due to staff shortages. They plan to postpone 115 surgeries by the 26th. Seoul National University Hospital's specialists have entered an indefinite strike, citing pressure from the hospital sending disciplinary messages stating that participation in the strike is prohibited. This hospital is also adjusting schedules by canceling patient appointments.

However, considering the COVID-19 situation, both sides have agreed to immediately begin practical negotiations, so the possibility of resolving the strike through dialogue has not completely disappeared. The government has also expressed a strong willingness to keep all options open and work together with the medical community in a sincere and open manner to seek improvement measures.

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