Doctor Absence Delays Surgery for Stage 4 Lung Cancer Patient... Concerns Over Medical Crisis Becoming Reality

Surgery Schedule Adjustment at Severance Hospital
In a Hospital in Gyeonggi-do, Cancer Surgeries Are Being Delayed

On the 16th, residents of the 'Big 5' major hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area, opposing the government's plan to increase medical school admissions, are seen moving inside a large hospital in Seoul as they announced their intention to submit resignation letters en masse. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The collective strike of residents at major hospitals is causing surgery delays, raising concerns about a medical crisis.

According to the medical community on the 16th, Severance Hospital internally notified each department in the afternoon to discuss 'surgery schedule adjustments.' Through an urgent notice, the hospital stated, "The Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine is expected to operate at less than 50% of normal capacity," and requested each department to adjust their surgery schedules accordingly.

Severance Hospital plans to hold an emergency meeting on the same day to finalize plans for reducing surgeries and transferring patients.

Not only Severance but also other major hospitals such as Seoul Asan Hospital and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital are discussing surgery schedule adjustments in preparation for the collective resignation of residents.

There have been cases where surgery schedules for cancer patients requiring urgent operations have been postponed.

According to Hospital A in northern Gyeonggi and the patient's family, Professor B at this hospital postponed the surgery scheduled for the 20th after obtaining consent from patient C on the morning of the same day.

Patient C, diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, had undergone chemotherapy for about two years but decided on surgery due to lack of further treatment options and was scheduled to be admitted on the 19th, one day before the surgery.

It is known that C underwent final preoperative tests, including blood sampling, at the hospital on that day.

However, Professor B and patient C decided to adjust the surgery date due to concerns that residents might not be able to enter the operating room on the day of surgery because of collective action.

In response, C's son posted on an online community, saying, "Is it right for doctors to threaten patients' lives to protect their own jobs?" which drew many comments.

As residents, who are essential to core medical services, have decided to take collective action, concerns about a 'medical crisis' are growing.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare's tally, as of midnight on the 15th, 154 residents from seven hospitals have submitted their resignation letters.

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