Government Raises Medical Disaster Alert to 'Severe'... Possibility of Nearly 80% Resident Doctor Attrition

8 AM Medical Disaster Crisis Alert Raised to Highest Level
Expansion of Public Medical Institution Services...Telemedicine Allowed
Government Prepares for Over 80% Resident Doctor Attrition

The government raised the health and medical disaster crisis alert to the highest level, 'Severe,' starting from 8 a.m. on the 23rd in response to the collective action by medical residents and other healthcare workers. All public medical institutions will extend weekday consultation hours to the maximum extent possible and expand weekend and holiday consultations. Additionally, four regional emergency control centers for critically ill patients will be newly established in early next month.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo chaired the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting at the Government Seoul Office that morning and announced these response measures. The government formed the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters chaired by the Prime Minister and launched an all-government full-scale response system in cooperation with related ministries and 17 metropolitan and provincial governments nationwide.

On the 23rd, the fourth consecutive day of resignations among residents at major hospitals, a notice regarding waiting times is posted at the reception desk of the chemotherapy center in a large hospital in Seoul. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Support for Hiring Substitute Doctors... Full Expansion of Non-Face-to-Face Medical Services

First, the government will raise the operational level of public medical institutions to the maximum. All public medical institutions will extend weekday consultation hours as much as possible and expand weekend and holiday consultations. The 24-hour emergency room operation system will also be maintained. In particular, four new regional emergency control centers that manage the transfer and referral of critically ill and emergency patients will be opened in early next month. The purpose is to intensively manage emergency patients so they can receive treatment within the golden hour.

Prime Minister Han requested the medical community to return to hospital sites to prevent further harm to the public. He said, "The collective action of the medical community leaves scars in the memories of the people and is an act that forgets the noble mission as medical professionals," adding, "Especially, illegal collective actions are a dangerous method that can shatter the dreams of young doctors who aspire to become respected physicians."

Preparing for the Possibility of Nearly 80% Medical Resident Attrition

The government is preparing for the worst-case scenario where 8 out of 10 medical residents leave the medical field, anticipating a medical service gap. It also expects that if the 45% of non-critical care, which accounts for about 55% of severe and emergency cases in tertiary hospitals, is dispersed to clinics and hospitals, the emergency medical system's capacity to endure could extend beyond the previously forecasted 2 to 3 weeks. This is an expected value assuming that emergency operations can be maintained without major disruption by personnel other than medical residents.

Jung Dong-ryong, head of the Central Emergency Medical Situation Room at the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Central Accident Response Headquarters, said in a phone interview, "We are preparing with the possibility that the current collective departure of medical residents could reach or even exceed the highest rate of 85% seen during the 2020 medical strike." He added, "I think the rate of medical residents leaving their workplaces could reach or surpass the maximum level seen in 2020. We will make every effort to minimize disruptions in medical care on the ground."

On the same day, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that 8,897 medical residents, about 78.5% of the total residents affiliated with 94 major training hospitals, submitted resignation letters, and 7,863 residents, about 69.4%, have left their workplaces. This figure excludes six hospitals compared to the previous day, so a direct comparison is not possible. These hospitals are scheduled to receive corrective orders due to poor data submission.

Emergency Medical System Activated... "Can Endure Over 3 Weeks with Patient Cooperation"

On the 20th, when the collective action of medical residents intensified, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the rate of medical residents leaving their workplaces was 25% (as of 11 p.m. on the 19th). Although some analyses suggested a lower participation rate compared to 2020, the rate surged to 63.1% (as of 10 p.m. on the 20th), then increased to 64.4% (as of 10 p.m. on the 21st), and 69.4% (as of 10 p.m. on the 22nd), indicating a spreading attrition of medical residents.

Director Jung said, "Analyzing tertiary hospitals, 55% of cases are severe diseases, and about 45% are general consultations," adding, "Statistically, if 45% of patients use other general hospitals, the tertiary hospitals without medical residents will be very limited but can manage to some extent." He also said that although the emergency medical system was initially expected to endure for 2 to 3 weeks, if tertiary hospitals can focus solely on severe and emergency care and the 45% of non-critical patients cooperate, the system could endure for more than 3 weeks.

He stated, "Except for the Big 5 hospitals, the proportion of medical residents is lower, so even if all leave, there will not be significant disruption in medical care. Considering all medical personnel, about 20 to 30% of staff have left so far," and added, "Even if more than 80% of medical residents leave as in 2000, we will minimize medical disruptions without panic."

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