Government Issues Work Commencement Orders to 1,308 Medical Residents Including Those Not Returned

License Suspension Processing Procedure Completed

The government has issued a public notice ordering 1,308 medical residents, including those who have left their medical training sites, to return to their affiliated training hospitals.

Park Min-su, the 1st Chief Coordinator of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters and the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, is giving a briefing at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 18th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare's website posted a public announcement containing the list of recipients, stating that the order to commence work is being delivered by public notice in accordance with Article 59, Paragraph 2 of the Medical Service Act. Public notice delivery ensures the effectiveness of the order to commence work, signifying that preparations have been completed for administrative actions such as license suspension or judicial procedures like prosecution.

According to the announcement, the Ministry of Health and Welfare sent the order to commence work to medical personnel who stopped providing medical services without justifiable reasons as of the 19th, but for whom direct postal delivery was difficult due to reasons such as 'closed and absent' (door locked and no one present) or 'address unconfirmed.'

The list of 1,308 recipients includes partial medical license numbers and names. Most of them are medical residents who submitted resignation letters and left their hospitals.

Generally, the effect of public notice delivery takes place 14 days after the announcement date. However, in this case, the effect takes place from the announcement date itself due to "special urgent reasons requiring immediate enforcement."

Through the announcement, the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated, "The collective suspension of medical services by medical personnel may cause significant harm to the health and lives of the public. Therefore, upon confirming the order to commence work, please return to your affiliated training hospital and resume patient care duties immediately." It also warned, "If the order to commence work is refused without justifiable reasons, disciplinary actions and criminal prosecution may be taken pursuant to Articles 66 and 88 of the Medical Service Act."

Article 66 of the Medical Service Act stipulates a license suspension of up to one year, while Article 88 provides for imprisonment of up to three years or a fine of up to 30 million won.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is expected to proceed with disciplinary procedures after verifying whether the recipients return to their posts following this public notice delivery.

Earlier, on the same day, the Ministry officially notified Kim Taek-woo, Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee, and Park Myung-ha, Chairman of the Organizational Strengthening Committee of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), of a three-month license suspension effective from April 15.

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