"Government and Local Authorities Shift Responsibility"…35% of Dispatched Public Health Doctors' Allowances Unpaid Amid Medical Crisis

Many Public Health Doctors Face Difficulties Due to April Dispatch Allowance Not Received
30.4% Received Allowance Late

Amid the resignation letters submitted by medical school professors nationwide taking effect, a patient is looking at medical staff at a large hospital in Seoul on the 26th. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

The Korean Association of Public Health Doctors disclosed part of the survey results conducted from the 3rd to the 10th of this month, targeting 563 public health doctors (Gongbo-ui).

Among the 563, 212 public health doctors had deployment experience. According to the survey, 125 (59.0%) of those with deployment experience responded that they had "uncomfortable experiences related to allowance payments." Of these, 75 (60.0%), accounting for 35.4% of all deployed public health doctors, said "allowance payments were delayed and have not yet been received." The rate of those who "received the allowance late" was 30.4%, and 18.4% said they "did not receive certain allowance items."

Lee Seong-hwan, president of the Korean Association of Public Health Doctors, criticized, "Many public health doctors are struggling as the April deployment allowance has not been paid. This allowance issue reveals the government's complacent response of 'passing responsibility' to local governments."

The government is operating an emergency medical system in response to the withdrawal of residents opposing medical school expansion and the resignation and work stoppage of medical school professors. Since March, military doctors and public health doctors have been deployed mainly to large training hospitals to partially replace some duties.

Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as of the 31st, the number of deployed public health doctors nationwide is 257.

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