8.5 out of 10 Residents on Leave... Calls to Reconsider the Four Major Medical Policies from Scratch

[Asia Economy Reporter Dongwoo Lee] On the 2nd, the nationwide intern and resident doctor strike rate at training hospitals was recorded at 85.4%.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that among 200 training hospitals for resident doctors, work status was checked at 152 hospitals, confirming that 7,431 out of 8,700 resident doctors (85.4%) did not work.

Among the fellows participating in the collective strike along with the resident doctors, 621 out of 2,094 (29.7%) were on strike.

The resident doctors and fellows have been continuing the collective strike for 13 days since the 21st of last month, demanding the complete withdrawal and re-discussion from the beginning of four major medical policies: expansion of medical school quotas, establishment of public medical schools, pilot project for insurance coverage of Korean herbal medicine prescriptions, and promotion of non-face-to-face medical consultations.

The Young Doctors Emergency Committee, a solidarity organization of fellows, resident doctors, and medical students, and the Korean Medical Association, led by private practitioners, will meet this evening to discuss opinions on the mediation proposal presented by Jeong Hange, the Policy Committee Chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, the previous day.

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