Resident Doctors Submit Collective Resignation Letters... "Government Responsibility" VS "Strict Principle-Based Response Without Leniency"

Medical Field on the Brink as Residents Plan Resignations
Government: "Please Don't Leave Patients Behind"
KMA: "Collective Action Is the Only Way to Be Heard"

As residents from the 'Big 5' hospitals plan to submit collective resignation letters on the 19th in opposition to the expansion of medical school quotas, the government has clearly stated that, unlike during the COVID-19 pandemic when it withdrew all lawsuits against residents, it will respond according to principle this time.

Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said on KBS Radio's 'Jeon Jong-cheol's Jeonggyeok Sisa' on the same day, "Please do not leave patients behind," adding, "As an enforcer of the law, if such a situation occurs, we have no choice but to enforce the law according to principle." He continued, "A similar situation occurred in 2020, and although it escalated to lawsuits and complaints, all were withdrawn at that time," and "That may have strengthened the perception that collective actions would not harm individuals." The government also attempted to expand medical school quotas and establish public medical schools in 2020, but these efforts were thwarted by residents' strikes and refusal to take the national medical licensing exam. Ultimately, the government amended the Medical Service Act enforcement ordinance to protect medical students who did not take the exam.

On the 18th, medical staff were moving inside a university hospital in Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Medical organizations claim that the government is pushing doctors into collective action. On SBS Radio's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' Joo Su-ho, Media Relations Committee Chair of the Korean Medical Association Emergency Committee, said, "It is the government that is cornering doctors into a dead end," and "If patients suffer as a result, the government must take responsibility." Joo emphasized that the government must not overlook the fact that most large hospitals are closing 50% of their operating rooms starting this week.

Joo stated, "Doctors do not aim to cause inconvenience to the public through strikes or collective actions," and "They resort to collective action only to draw attention from society and the field to their voices."

With residents about to resign, the medical field is on the brink of a storm. Park Min-sook, Vice Chair of the National Health and Medical Industry Labor Union (Health and Medical Labor Union), said on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' that "All residents will have submitted their resignation letters by today and will leave medical sites starting at 6 a.m. tomorrow, so the field is on the verge of a storm," adding, "It is so uncertain when inpatients will be discharged that it is difficult even to communicate." The Health and Medical Labor Union is an organization that includes nurses and workers from medical institutions and welfare facilities.

Vice Chair Park claimed, "Residents likely expect the government to give up and withdraw the resignation letters." He said, "The reason the government has failed to expand medical school quotas for 19 years is due to strong opposition and collective refusal of medical care by medical organizations, which repeatedly forced the government to back down," and "Residents and the Medical Association have already experienced multiple victories against the government." He added, "The submission of resignation letters is part of collective action and does not seem to indicate a genuine intention to leave hospitals," and "The resignation letters are a means of pressure, and they seem to believe the government will show leniency."

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