"About to Give Birth but Enduring with 'Matong'... Resident Doctors at Sajik Complain of Financial Hardship"

Resident doctor at Sajik struggling with living expenses... Receiving diaper and formula support
Former KMA President Roh Hwan-gyu to receive 'Childcare Doctor' sponsorship
Yoon "License suspension deferred... Punishment principles remain unchanged"

Following the collective resignation of medical residents, the mass resignation of medical school professors nationwide has become a reality, exacerbating the medical service gap. Meanwhile, the residents who resigned in protest against the government's policy to increase medical school quotas are voicing their struggles with financial hardship.

[Photo by Kang Jin-hyung, Asia Economy]

On the 26th, Roh Hwan-gyu, former president of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), stated, "Excluding the residents who personally received formula milk and diapers at the KMA headquarters, more than 100 residents applied online for formula milk and diapers."

The collective resignation of residents began on the 19th. Some of the residents have reportedly been experiencing financial difficulties as their salaries from training hospitals have been cut off. Since doctors affiliated with training hospitals are prohibited from holding concurrent jobs, they are making ends meet by working part-time in places such as logistics centers and restaurants.

According to a memo disclosed by former President Roh, the residents who received formula milk and diapers expressed their gratitude to the sponsors along with their personal stories. Resident A, who resigned, said, "My child is about to be born, but I have no income," adding, "I have to survive on an overdraft account, so I am truly grateful for this practical help." He continued, "As the head of the household, I applied for diapers and formula milk due to financial difficulties," and expressed, "I sincerely thank the doctors for their hard work and goodwill. I will not forget this kindness and will repay it to junior medical professionals and fellow doctors in the future."

Another resident, B, said, "Starting from March, I will be the sole breadwinner, but resigning has caused me psychological and financial burdens as the head of the household," adding, "Seeing the medical staff and residents express their intention to resign despite legal risks and military enlistment difficulties, I decided to fully participate in the resignation as my own free will."

The 'Parenting Doctor Support' project initiated by Noh Hwan-gyu, former president of the Korean Medical Association.
[Photo by Noh Hwan-gyu, former president of the Korean Medical Association, Facebook capture]

Former President Roh also conveyed the sentiments of those supporting the resigned residents. Supporters left messages such as, "As a dentist, I hope this situation will lead to a society that corrects the distorted medical fee system and the designated hospital system," "Although I am not a medical professional, I want to support the residents who are being held hostage by sacrifice," and "I am a non-medical person hoping that the broken medical system will be normalized even a little. I support the doctors. Please hold on."

Roh added, "Support is coming not only from medical professionals but also from non-medical people," and "The number of supporters is three times the number of residents who applied for support."

Meanwhile, on the 26th, President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered a suspension of license suspension penalties for residents who have not returned to duty. This is a temporary halt, and it is unknown when the license suspension penalties will resume. Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said, "The timing and details of the license suspension penalties may be subject to review, but nothing has been decided yet," while emphasizing, "The principle that punishment is inevitable remains unchanged. We are currently discussing flexible penalties with the ruling party."

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