Government: "Judicial Procedures for Non-returning Residents to Proceed from March"

10,034 Residents at Major Training Hospitals Submit Resignation Letters
72.3% or 9,006 Have Left Workplaces
"No Accountability If Returning by the 29th"

The number of residents who have submitted resignation letters has exceeded 10,000 across 100 major training hospitals. The government has stated that it will not hold residents who left hospitals accountable if they return within this month, aiming to resolve the gap in medical services.

Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare
Photo by Yonhap News

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for the doctors' collective action announced on the morning of the 26th that, based on a written inspection of 100 major training hospitals, as of 7 p.m. on the 23rd, 10,034 residents, accounting for 80.5% of the affiliated residents, had submitted resignation letters. None of these resignation letters have been accepted. The number of residents who have left their workplaces is approximately 9,006, which is about 72.3% of the affiliated residents.

The government has requested residents who have left their workplaces to return by the 29th of this month. Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said, "If they return to the hospital by the 29th, we will not hold them accountable for past actions," adding, "From March, for those who do not return, it will be inevitable to proceed with license suspension for up to three months and related judicial procedures according to laws and principles." He further added, "Please keep in mind that the license suspension will be recorded as a reason and may affect future career paths such as overseas employment."

Vice Minister Park explained that the deadline of the 29th was given to allow residents time to consider. Previously, the government had expressed its intention to 'mechanically' enforce the law if orders to commence work were not complied with.

Regarding the possibility that full-time instructors whose contracts expire at the end of this month may leave without renewing, he said, "We hope that the normal contract process will take place," and "We will make every effort to engage in dialogue."

As of 6 p.m. on the 23rd, the Doctor Collective Action Damage Report and Support Center received 38 new damage reports. Combined with the previously received 189 cases, a total of 227 damage cases have been reported. The new damage cases include 31 surgery delays, 3 refusals of treatment, 2 cancellations of medical appointments, and 2 delays in hospitalization. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has linked these 38 damage cases to local governments to inspect violations. Among these, legal consultations such as damage compensation were supported for 17 cases.

The government explained that although there is some confusion on site, the emergency medical system focusing on emergency and severe patients is operating stably. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 392 out of 409 emergency medical institutions, accounting for 96%, are operating normally. The outpatient visit reduction rate at tertiary general hospitals is about 2.5%, indicating that operations have continued without significant changes even after the collective action.

Additionally, the CDSCH decided to implement a 'Medical Support Personnel Pilot Project' starting from the 27th for nurses working at general hospitals and training hospitals nationwide. This is to respond to the medical service gap situation following the declaration of the 'serious' stage of the health care crisis, based on Article 44 of the Framework Act on Health and Medical Services. Accordingly, the scope of work that nurses can perform can be determined by the head of the medical institution by forming an internal committee or consulting with the head of the nursing department. However, acts already established as prohibited for nurses through precedents remain restricted.

After residents began collective action, there were many demands from the medical field to clearly define the scope of nurses' duties, as nurses such as physician assistant (PA) nurses have been forced to take over residents' tasks.

The government has expressed its willingness to engage in dialogue with the medical community to resolve the issue. Vice Minister Park said, "We ask the medical community to propose representatives who can gather overall opinions," adding, "All agendas, including the quota, are subject to dialogue, but there is no change in the government's judgment (an increase of 2,000)."

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