Government: "No Special Training Exception for Non-returning Residents in September... Hope for Their Return"

"The Effective Date of Resignation Acceptance is June 4th Based on Administrative Law"

The government urged residents to return, stating that those who do not return to training by September will not be eligible for special exceptions.

Kim Guk-il, Director of Health and Medical Policy. [Photo by Yonhap News].

On the 11th, Kim Guk-il, Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) briefing on doctors' collective action, "Special training exceptions will be applied to residents who have returned and those who reapply for training in September this year after resignation, so that the timing of obtaining specialist qualifications is not delayed," adding, "Special training exceptions will not apply to residents who do not return to training in September after resignation."

He continued, "Each training hospital is requested to complete the resignation processing for residents who have not returned by July 15 to ensure there is no disruption to the recruitment schedule for residents in the second half of the year," and added, "Residents, please do not hesitate any longer and return to the patients as soon as possible."

However, he maintained the position on accepting resignation letters in June, which has sparked opposition from residents. In response to reporters' questions about the proposal from the Association of Training Hospitals to set the acceptance date of residents' resignation letters to February 29, Kim said, "The government has already stated that the resignation date has legal effect as of June 4."

Residents argue that the acceptance date of resignation letters should be February, when the resignation letters were actually submitted, not June, when the order to prohibit acceptance of resignation letters was lifted. They claim that if the resignation date is set to June, legal liability and financial disadvantages such as loss of severance pay are inevitable due to violation of the Medical Service Act for non-compliance with the work commencement order.

Along with urging their return, he also said discussions on the medical workforce projection plan after 2026 are possible. He stated, "Recently, the Medical Reform Special Committee has begun discussions on governance for medical workforce supply and demand projections," and added, "If residents participate in the Medical Reform Special Committee together with the medical community and present their opinions, I would like to reiterate that the projection plan after the 2026 academic year can be discussed more objectively and transparently."

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