Medical Association → Residents... Now Medical Students vs Ministry of Health Direct Confrontation (Comprehensive)

Medical Students "Continue Refusal of National Exam and Collective Action"... Ministry of Health and Welfare "Physician Workforce Simulation"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Seo So-jeong and Jo Hyun-ui] The medical sector strike is escalating into a conflict between the government and medical students. Initially led by the Korea Medical Association (KMA) and with residents collectively stopping work, the strike situation has entered a deadlock due to medical students refusing to take the practical exam of the national medical licensing examination. The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) has taken a firm stance to proceed with the exam as scheduled on the 8th despite the students' refusal. It also clearly stated that it will seek alternatives to the anticipated shortage of doctors, indicating no further concessions will be made.

◆ Medical licensing exam attendance rate at 14%... MOHW "Exam to proceed as scheduled on the 8th" = According to the MOHW on the 7th, the attendance rate for the practical exam of the 85th National Medical Licensing Examination in 2021 was only 14%. Son Young-rae, head of the Strategic Planning Division at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, stated at a regular briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong that "Out of 3,172 eligible candidates, currently 446, or 14%, are expected to attend."

The government has firmly ruled out any further postponement or extension of the registration deadline for this year's medical licensing exam. Son said, "We have repeatedly informed medical students who did not reapply that it will be difficult to take the practical exam this year," adding, "The practical exam will proceed without disruption." He further explained, "We are not considering extending the reapplication period or accepting additional registrations," and emphasized, "This is a matter of law and principle, and national exams apply not only to the medical licensing exam but also commonly to many other professions and qualifications."

Earlier, when about 90% of medical students expressed their intention to boycott the exam in protest against the expansion of medical school quotas on the 31st of last month, the government postponed the exam start date from the 1st to the 8th of this month and extended the re-registration deadline to midnight of that day. However, the Emergency Committee of the Korea Medical Students Association (KMSA) unanimously decided, based on the resolution of representatives from 40 medical schools nationwide, to maintain the boycott and continue collective action.

◆ Medical students "Anger at MOHW and ruling party's duplicity" = The KMSA Emergency Committee stated, "Many members are angry at the MOHW and the ruling party's duplicitous political actions following the hasty agreement between the KMA and the government and ruling party," and emphasized, "We will firmly maintain solidarity with the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) Emergency Committee and continue collective action." In response to the strong opposition from the KMSA Emergency Committee, the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), which had hinted at returning to work on the 7th, suddenly reversed its position and declared a suspension of collective action. The KIRA Emergency Committee announced, "We will hold an online meeting with all residents at 1 p.m. on the 7th to reset the return-to-work date to after Monday."

Until the afternoon of the 6th, residents had planned to stop the strike and return to medical sites on the 7th. Park Ji-hyun, head of the KIRA Emergency Committee, said in a live broadcast on social media the previous afternoon, "The KMA's 'rush signing' with the government and ruling party has weakened the justification for collective action," and "We have decided to lower the level of protest to stage 1 (residents and students return, only one-person protests continue) and return to the field from 7 a.m. on the 7th." However, upon hearing the return news, medical students and some residents strongly opposed it. Different voices from medical students by school and residents by hospital led to a flood of protests, and ultimately the residents' return was canceled.

The reason for the medical students' strong stance is analyzed as a combination of being direct victims of the medical school quota expansion and feelings of betrayal toward their seniors experienced during the strike. One medical student said, "We cannot dismiss the suspicion that the KMA and residents used students who have not yet obtained medical licenses as scapegoats," and admitted, "The sense of betrayal toward seniors is growing." A medical industry insider commented, "For the millennial generation born in the 1990s, who prioritize competition and have been striving to obtain the doctor title, the Hippocratic Oath about being by the patient's side may not resonate much."

As the collective refusal of medical students to take the licensing exam raised concerns about a shortage of medical personnel, the MOHW began seeking alternatives. A MOHW official said, "Since it is not that 3,000 people suddenly leave in one year, even if they collectively do not take the exam, it is not a major problem that would disrupt manpower supply," adding, "We are currently conducting internal simulations of doctor manpower and exploring alternatives for adjusting and supporting manpower supply in essential areas such as rural health centers, military doctors, and public health doctors."

He also added, "Currently, for public health doctors and military doctors, adjustments centered on essential deployment areas will prevent major disruptions," and "Medical school graduates usually do not apply for military service immediately but do so after a one-year internship or after a four-year residency training period."

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