Ministry of Health and Welfare Orders Hospitals to Submit 'Resident Work Data'

The government, which issued mass orders to resume work to residents who left hospitals after submitting their resignation letters, is reportedly instructing each training hospital to report the residents' work status daily.

This measure aims to prevent residents from returning after the work resumption order and then ceasing work again. The government has reiterated its stance to take legal action if the work resumption order is violated.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and medical circles on the 18th, the Ministry recently issued an order to major training hospitals to submit data once daily to monitor residents' resignation, leave, and work absences.

The Ministry identified that 235 residents had submitted resignation letters by 6 p.m. on the 16th and issued work resumption orders to 103 residents who had not actually worked.

Article 59 of the Medical Service Act allows the Minister of Health and Welfare and provincial governors to order 'work resumption' if a medical professional unjustifiably stops medical treatment, or if medical institution operators collectively close or suspend operations, causing or likely to cause significant disruption to patient care.

Of the 103 residents ordered to resume work, 100 returned, but 3 were not confirmed to have returned.

The Ministry considers these 3 residents unwilling to return and has received 'confirmation of non-compliance with the work resumption order' from the training departments of their respective hospitals. These individuals may face suspension of qualifications for up to one year, imprisonment for up to three years, or fines up to 30 million KRW as stipulated by law. If prosecution for non-compliance results in a first-instance sentence of imprisonment or higher, license revocation is also possible.

To prevent 'fake returns' where residents leave their workplace again after returning, the Ministry is now requiring hospitals to submit data to closely monitor residents' work status.

According to the Ministry, the effect of a work resumption order remains even after the individual returns. Therefore, if a resident leaves the workplace again after returning, it is considered a violation of the existing order without the need for an additional order.

The government emphasized strict punishment for those who fail to comply with the work resumption order. At a briefing on the 16th, Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated, "If 10 people do not comply with the work resumption order after resignation, all 10 will be disciplined," adding, "The law will be enforced very mechanically."

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