Sajik Residents: "Reconsider Increase from the Beginning, Medical Accident Immunity Must Precede Return"

"Exemption from Liability for Unavoidable Medical Accidents and Need for Fair Treatment"
"Hospitals, Not Patients, Should Leave... Medical School Expansion Needs Reconsideration from the Start"

It has been argued that in order for resigned residents to return, exemptions from liability for unavoidable medical accidents, fair treatment, and a fundamental reconsideration of medical school enrollment increases must be prioritized.

Ryu Ok-hada, former intern representative at the Catholic Central Medical Center, is holding a briefing on the results of the sincere investigation of resigning residents and the increase in medical school admissions on the morning of the 16th at the Center Point Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Ryu Okhada, former representative of interns at the Catholic Central Medical Center, held a press conference on the morning of the 16th at the Centerpoint Building in Jongno-gu, Seoul, titled "What Are Resigned Residents Thinking? Presentation of Qualitative Survey Results from Written and Face-to-Face Interviews with 150 Residents." He announced the results of written and on-site interviews conducted with a total of 20 interns and residents from last month 13th to this month 12th.

Former representative Ryu stated that exemptions from liability for medical accidents and fair treatment are necessary for residents to return. In the interviews, A, a second-year resident in an essential medical department, said, "Only by preventing indiscriminate lawsuits over unavoidable medical accident outcomes (including death) will I return as a trainee." B, a first-year resident in a non-essential medical department, responded, "There needs to be appropriate treatment for fields with demanding and difficult work. For example, there are many orthopedic doctors, but few who want to specialize in trauma orthopedics."

Criticism was also raised about relying solely on individual dedication for essential medical care and the effectiveness of residency training. When asked, "What do you think about the current residency training environment?" C, a second-year resident in an essential medical department, replied, "Although there is a shortage in numbers, it is wrong to make trainees choose vital fields solely based on personal dedication without support for departments with low application rates." Another first-year resident in an essential medical department, D, questioned the effectiveness of training due to fake labor such as printing and making coffee.

There was also a call for an apology from the government. E, a fourth-year resident in an essential medical department, emphasized, "An apology and accountability are necessary. Although a presidential apology is realistically impossible, it is essential to dismiss the Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, who is responsible and has repeatedly made inappropriate remarks."

The excessive length of military service was also mentioned. Intern F said, "If the military service period is not made realistic, neither colleagues nor juniors will choose to become residents," adding, "Currently, if you do not become a resident, you serve 18 months of active duty; if you complete or quit residency midway, you must serve 38 months as a military medical officer."

Results also showed that residents believe that conflicts between the medical community and the government will continue regardless of changes in administration. Former representative Ryu said, "Conflicts have occurred regardless of political orientation," adding, "During the Kim Dae-jung administration, there was the separation of prescribing and dispensing medicines; under the Park Geun-hye administration, there was a pilot project for telemedicine; under the Moon Jae-in administration, there was the public medical school; and recently, Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party, brought up discussions in the public opinion committee mentioning the public medical school. There is a perception that with the repeated increase in medical school enrollment under the Yoon Seok-youl administration, this cycle will continue."

It was also revealed that the number of residents completely giving up training is increasing. Former representative Ryu said, "what is felt on the ground is that the number of people completely giving up residency training is increasing," adding, "They question 'Why is training necessary?' and feel that vital and life-handling departments, especially in rural areas, are collapsing."

He also expressed regret over indiscriminate criticism of resigned residents. Former representative Ryu conveyed, "One resident said, 'The relationship between patients and doctors has broken down. I don't feel any sense of fulfillment,'" and added, "(Another resident) said, 'They call us 'Uiju-bin' and 'Uimas,' comparing us to Hamas; even murderers wouldn't be insulted this much.'"

Furthermore, he demanded, "Resigned residents left the 'hospital' due to harsh training environments and unfair government policies, not to leave the 'patients' side," and urged, "The government should fundamentally reconsider the increase in medical school enrollment so that our medical system and the relationship between patients and doctors do not become irreparable."

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