It's Hard to Get Even One Prescription... Consecutive Closures at Local Clinics

1500 More Facilities Report Pre-Closure Than Before
University Hospitals Handle Only Half of Scheduled Surgeries

A resident physician 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 increase the quota of medical school students. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] As the medical community's collective strike (work stoppage) opposing the government's four major healthcare policies?expansion of medical school quotas, establishment of public medical schools, pilot project for coverage of Korean herbal medicine prescriptions, and promotion of non-face-to-face medical care?enters its second day on the 27th, confusion is arising with increasing inconvenience to patients at medical facilities. Not only residents and fellows at large hospitals but also some clinic-level medical institutions in local neighborhoods have joined the strike, causing delays in surgeries and outpatient care, as well as disruptions in basic medical services such as prescription issuance. Hospitals are mobilizing professors for on-call and emergency room duties to maintain essential medical services, but they are struggling to cope due to work overload.

According to the medical community, major university hospitals in Seoul are closely monitoring the situation while reducing outpatient care volume and limiting new patient admissions as much as possible. Seoul National University Hospital is handling only 40-50% of its usual surgical cases, and Samsung Medical Center has postponed over 100 scheduled surgeries from the previous day through the 28th. Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Asan Medical Center have also reduced their surgery schedules by about 30% each.

Handling emergency patients is also challenging. A representative from a general hospital stated, "The emergency room is operating normally, but if many patients come in, waiting times inevitably become longer than usual." There are also many cases of patients visiting local clinics only to find them closed. Jeong Shim, 68, living in Mapo-gu, Seoul, said, "I went to my usual clinic to get a prescription for blood pressure medication, but it was closed with only a notice saying it would be closed until the 28th," adding, "I don't know if it's closed because of the strike or for some other reason."

The second nationwide doctors' general strike, scheduled for three days from the previous day through the 28th, includes participation from residents, fellows, and some private practitioners at clinic-level medical institutions. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, out of 32,787 clinic-level medical institutions nationwide, 1,905 (5.8%) had reported pre-strike closures on this day. The previous day saw 3,549 closures, a 10.1% closure rate. Initially, 2,097 clinics (6.4%) had reported pre-strike closures, but the number increased by nearly 1,500.

The government stated, "Amid the crisis of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), we plan to respond more strictly than ever to any collective actions that jeopardize the lives and safety of the people," and issued a 'work commencement order' as of 8 a.m. the previous day, commanding residents and fellows working at 95 training hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area, including Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon, to immediately return to patient care duties.

However, the Korean Intern Resident Association, representing about 16,000 residents including interns and residents, held an emergency committee meeting and declared, "Regardless of whether we have confirmed receipt or been notified of the work commencement order, we will not comply," adding, "Residents will collectively bear and respond to any administrative orders and disadvantages resulting from this."

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