"Ask Residents at Sajik to Be Brave"... Accelerating Structural Transformation of Tertiary Hospitals

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong Urges Return at Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting
Emphasizes Fundamental Reform to Reduce Excessive Dependence on Residents

On the eve of the deadline for recruiting residents at training hospitals for the second half of the year, the government urged resigning residents to return, asking them to show courage for the sake of patients.

On the 30th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, presided over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) regarding the doctors' collective action, stating, "We plan to apply special training exceptions to promptly normalize medical sites and training processes, but the number of applicants for resident recruitment in the second half of the year is not high." He added, "Patients are delighted even at the news that a single resident is returning to the field. Residents who are hesitating to return are urged to be courageous for the sake of patients and themselves."

Minister Cho also said, "We will thoroughly examine the factors causing resigning residents to hesitate and actively respond to resolve them," promising, "We will work with training hospitals to ensure that returning residents receive quality training in improved working environments and obtain specialist qualifications."

The government plans to accelerate effective and fundamental reforms, such as restructuring tertiary hospitals, to reduce excessive dependence on residents, even if the number of returning residents remains small.

Minister Cho emphasized, "We will increase the proportion of treatment for severe, emergency, and rare diseases and reduce general hospital beds to an appropriate level through operational innovation, making this an opportunity to normalize the medical delivery system."

He continued, "To this end, we will promote increases in fees for intensive care units, hospitalization, and severe surgeries, as well as provide hospital-specific incentives based on operational performance," explaining, "We will reflect field opinions through business briefings and hold policy discussions in August to prepare a final plan with high feasibility, then start a pilot project in September based on this."

Minister Cho addressed the medical community, saying, "The opportunity for dialogue remains open," and added, "If the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and residents also participate in the Medical Reform Special Committee, we can take a step closer to completing medical reform and enhance trust between the medical profession and the government."

To the public, he said, "We will make every effort to minimize medical service gaps by operating emergency medical measures," and added, "We will expand personnel such as physician assistants (PAs) and nurses and innovate the medical system through restructuring tertiary hospitals to break free from excessive dependence on residents."

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