Residents show indifference to "Return by 29th" warning... Hospital sector to "Monitor the situation"

"If I was going to return due to threats, I wouldn't have resigned in the first place"
Hospital "Will monitor the situation until the deadline on the 29th and devise countermeasures"

The government announced that it would not hold responsible the residents who submitted their resignation letters in protest against the increase in medical school admissions if they return by the 29th, but the residents are not showing any intention to return. The hospital sector stated that it will devise countermeasures after observing whether they return and the trend of contract renewals for full-time doctors scheduled to be appointed on March 1.

On the morning of the 26th, Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing on doctors' collective action that if residents return to the hospital in February, they will not be held legally responsible.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for the doctors' collective action stated in a briefing on the 26th, "If the residents return to the hospital by the 29th, we will not pursue legal responsibility." Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said, "From March, for those who do not return, it is inevitable to proceed with license suspension for up to three months and related judicial procedures according to laws and principles," adding, "Please keep in mind that the license suspension will be recorded as a reason and may affect future career paths such as overseas employment."

Despite the government's warning, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) understands that the residents show no signs of returning. On the same afternoon, Joo Su-ho, the KMA Emergency Response Committee's Public Relations Officer, said, "If they were going to return due to government threats, they would not have submitted resignation letters in the first place," and added, "After the government announcement, when I spoke with residents, many expressed the opinion that 'the government is underestimating the residents too much.'"

The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) has not officially stated its position but has shown no change in stance despite the government's warnings. On the 21st, when the government announced a policy that "leaders and behind-the-scenes forces of the collective action will be subject to arrest and investigation in principle, and residents refusing to return will be formally prosecuted," Park Dan, the president of KIRA, wrote on his personal social media, "I will face the investigation proudly," and "Go ahead and arrest me."

Amid the uncertainty over the residents' return, the atmosphere of full-time doctors who had been filling their vacancies leaving hospitals is spreading. Full-time doctors are on one-year contracts and usually leave the hospital after working for one to two years, so even if they do not renew their contracts at the end of this month, the government cannot sanction them. At Chosun University Hospital, 12 out of 14 fourth-year full-time doctors up for contract renewal have submitted letters of refusal for reappointment and plan to leave the hospital at the end of this month. A medical industry official said, "Among full-time doctors, there is a debate about whether it is right to turn their backs on the resident juniors who have worked hard together for years and stay at the hospital."

In this atmosphere, hospitals are also carefully considering countermeasures while observing the situation. A representative from Severance Hospital said, "The situation varies by department, so it is still difficult to establish an integrated countermeasure." He added, "The issues of residents' return and full-time doctors' contract renewals will all be decided within this week," and "We will devise countermeasures after monitoring the situation." A representative from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital also said, "Unless the government issues directions or guidelines, we have to operate with the remaining staff," and added, "Since the government has announced a return deadline of the 29th, we will watch how the situation unfolds."

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