'Low Return of Residents' Gwangju Area Tertiary General Hospital Crisis Prolonged, Preparing for Long-Term Response

As the return rate remains low despite government pressure, including work commencement (return) orders issued to residents at tertiary general hospitals who left their hospitals, tertiary general hospitals in the Gwangju area have begun preparing for a prolonged crisis.

According to the local medical community on the 21st, Chonnam National University Hospital is currently operating its intensive care unit, emergency room, and outpatient services normally, but surgeries are being performed mainly for critically ill patients. Rooms where patients have been discharged are also being filled passively.

On the 21st, a university hospital in downtown Seoul was crowded with visitors amid growing concerns of a medical crisis due to collective resignations and work stoppages by residents protesting the increase in medical school quotas. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Chosun University Hospital has established an on-duty system with specialists and PA nurses to maintain normal operations in the emergency room, outpatient clinic, and intensive care unit, but surgeries have been reduced to about half of the usual volume. In particular, general wards, which heavily depend on residents, are considered difficult to operate for extended periods without residents. Accordingly, it is reported that an internal policy has been set to reduce the general ward occupancy rate to the 50% range.

Previously, out of 319 residents at Chonnam National University Hospital, 245 submitted resignation letters. Among them, 207 were reported to have been absent without leave the previous day. Work commencement orders were issued to 137 residents at the main hospital who had no record of accessing the hospital's medical system that day. Seventy residents at branch hospitals were excluded.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare confirmed an additional 34 residents who accessed the hospital medical system the previous day and issued work commencement order non-compliance confirmation letters to the remaining 103 residents.

However, it is understood that not all residents with system access records have returned to the field.

In the case of Chosun University Hospital, out of 142 residents, 114 submitted resignation letters, and 107 were reported to have left the hospital the previous day. Work commencement orders were issued to the 114 who submitted resignation letters; 2 returned, and 5 submitted leave or other excuse letters. Non-compliance confirmation letters were issued to the remaining 107.

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