34% of Residents and Medical Students Say "No Future Resident Trainees"

96% "Reduction or Maintenance of Medical School Quotas"

A survey revealed that more than 30% of residents and medical students stated that there will be no resident training doctors in the future.

Ryu Okhada, former intern representative of the Catholic Central Medical Center, is speaking at a press conference held on the morning of the 2nd at the Centerpoint Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Choi Taewon peaceful1@

Ryu Okhada, former representative of the Catholic Central Medical Center interns, held a press conference on the morning of the 2nd at the Centerpoint Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and announced this. On that day, he presented the results of the 'Young Doctors (Residents and Medical Students) Trend Online Survey,' which involved a total of 1,581 residents and medical students over four days from the 29th of last month to the 1st.

According to the survey results, when asked "Do you intend to undergo resident training in the future?" 34% (531 respondents) answered "No." When asked "If you do not intend to undergo resident training in the future, what are the reasons?" (multiple responses allowed for those without training intentions), the most common answer was "Disillusionment due to the government and public opinion demonizing the medical profession" (87.4%). This was followed by "Because the government unilaterally pushed for increasing medical school admissions and essential medical packages without structural solutions" (76.9%) and "Because of mental and physical exhaustion and wanting to rest" (41.1%).

When asked "Considering the current medical reality and educational environment in Korea, what do you think is the appropriate size of medical school admissions?" 64% (1,014 respondents) answered "It should be reduced," which was the highest. 32% (504 respondents) said "The current quota should be maintained." Only 4% (63 respondents) supported increasing admissions.

When asked "What do you think are the problems of Korean healthcare?" (multiple responses allowed), the answer "Unrealistically low medical costs" was the most common at 90.4%. This was followed by "Inhumane resident training conditions" at 80.8%, "The disappearance of gatekeepers for emergency rooms and tertiary hospitals" at 67.0%, and "The mandatory designation system" at 62.4%.

To the question "Is there pressure or threats from colleagues or seniors during the resignation or leave of absence process?" 99% (1,566 respondents) answered "No."

Meanwhile, former representative Ryu Ok said that the Korean Consumer Organization Council, along with resigned residents, medical students on leave, and medical professors, plans to start the "National Cancer Patients and Chronic Disease Classification Project" within this week. He said, "We have considered alternatives together with patients about what we can do right now," and added, "The Korean Consumer Organization Council and young doctors agreed that we must prevent the collapse of trust between patients and the public."

He stated, "The purpose of this project is not to make independent judgments or diagnoses," and explained, "We aim to contact the diagnosing professors to jointly assess the risks caused by delayed treatment and find the best alternatives tailored to each patient's situation." He continued, "We will work to alleviate patients' anxiety and provide practical help by coordinating with hospitals, medical professors, and private practitioners," adding, "We are in the process of requesting cooperation from professors and hospitals."

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