Health Authorities "Work Commencement Orders Issued to 358 People in the Seoul Metropolitan Area... Nationwide Expansion Also Under Consideration"

COVID-19 Central Accident Response Headquarters Regular Briefing
On-site Investigation of 20 Major Training Hospitals in the Seoul Metropolitan Area
Order for Resident and Fellow Doctors to Return Amid Emergency and ICU Closures

On the 27th, in front of Bonghwasan Station in Seoul, the Seoul Medical Center Resident Council is urging the complete withdrawal of the four major harmful medical policies. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The government announced on the 27th that it has issued work commencement orders to 358 doctors in urgent fields among residents and fellows at training hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area who have engaged in collective action.

Yoon Tae-ho, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine team at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a briefing that day, "We issued work commencement orders to 358 residents who were absent from duty in the emergency rooms and intensive care units of 20 hospitals surveyed yesterday." He added, "If the collective strike continues, we will have no choice but to gradually expand the scope and targets of work commencement orders and on-site investigations." He also noted, "Considering the recent trend of patients spreading to areas outside the metropolitan area, we are also reviewing expanding the work commencement orders, which were limited to the metropolitan area, nationwide."

Earlier, after residents (interns and residents) and fellows began collective action, medical associations including them went on a total strike starting the day before. The government issued work commencement orders to residents and fellows belonging to 95 training hospitals in the metropolitan area as of 8 a.m. the previous day. To check whether the absence of residents and others was causing disruptions at frontline medical sites, the government conducted on-site investigations by visiting 20 major hospitals the day before.

On the 27th, in front of Seoul Medical Center in Jungnang-gu, Seoul, members of the Resident Doctors' Council are distributing pamphlets condemning the government's medical policies to a citizen. Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

Reiterated Policy of Prosecution and Punishment for Noncompliance
"Work Commencement Orders Remain Valid Even if Resignation Letters Are Submitted"
Clinic Closure Rate Around 10%... Some Local Governments Issue Work Commencement Orders

First, the government confirmed the list of medical staff absent from duty working in hospital emergency rooms and intensive care units, then individually issued work commencement orders to residents and fellows who were absent despite the orders. Emergency room staff were ordered to return to duty within one hour on the day of the investigation, and intensive care unit staff by 9 a.m. the following day, with compliance to be verified. Failure to comply may result in obtaining confirmation documents and filing charges or administrative sanctions.

Yoon said, "We plan to revisit the training hospitals we visited yesterday to check whether residents have returned, and if not, we will take prosecution measures." He added, "If the strike continues, we will have no choice but to gradually expand the scope and targets of on-site investigations."

When the work commencement orders were issued the day before, the residents' group entered a 'blackout' by turning off their mobile phones and not answering calls. A Ministry of Health and Welfare official said, "Most of those absent turned off their phones and avoided receiving the orders," adding, "We handed over receipts and confirmation documents to hospital officials so they could deliver them to the absentees and collected related evidence."

On the 27th, in front of Bonghwasan Station in Seoul, the Seoul Medical Center Resident Council is urging the complete withdrawal of the four major evil medical policies. / Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

Although residents at major university hospitals are taking a hardline stance by collectively submitting resignation letters, the government maintains that the work commencement orders remain valid. The official said, "According to precedent, submitting collective resignation letters is recognized as collective action, i.e., a collective strike," adding, "Even if resignation letters are submitted, work commencement orders can be issued, and noncompliance may result in imprisonment of up to three years, fines up to 30 million won, or suspension of medical licenses for up to one year."

The government estimates that about one in ten local clinics is closed due to the doctors' total strike. Yoon said, "If the closure rate exceeds 10%, and local governments judge that it may hinder medical care for residents, they can issue work commencement orders through public health centers," adding, "Four metropolitan cities and provinces have already issued work commencement orders."

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