Resident Doctors on General Strike Demand "Reconsider Expansion of Medical School Quotas"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 7th, resident doctors nationwide who began a collective strike in protest of the expansion of medical school quotas urged the government to fully reconsider the policy of increasing medical school quotas.

The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) held an outdoor rally in Yeouido, Seoul, in the afternoon and stated, "The government is trying to pass the increase of 4,000 medical school quotas without proper discussion or evidence," and demanded, "Reconsider the reckless expansion of medical school quotas, the establishment of public medical schools, and the inclusion of Korean herbal medicine prescriptions in insurance coverage."

Residents and medical school and medical graduate school students from the Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon regions participated in the rally. The organizers estimated that more than 6,000 people took part.

They criticized, "The government praised us as 'heroes' during COVID-19 with 'thanks to you,' but now that the benefits are gone, they call us a corrupt legacy," and added, "We cannot erase the phrase 'used and discarded' from our minds in response to the government's double standards."

KIRA urged the government to reflect the voices of young doctors and frontline workers in all medical policy-making. In a separate government demand proposal, they requested the establishment of a permanent communication body between residents and the government, support for resident training costs through a 'National Responsibility System for Resident Training,' and amendments to laws to improve residents' working conditions.

Residents working at training hospitals nationwide decided to suspend all resident duties, including essential services such as emergency rooms, delivery rooms, and dialysis rooms, from 7 a.m. on the 7th to 7 a.m. on the 8th. The government has assessed that the use rate of annual leave related to the residents' collective strike is around 50%.