154 Residents from 7 Hospitals Nationwide Submit Resignations
Ministry of Health and Welfare: "No Resignations Accepted"
221 Hospitals Under 'Essential Medical Services Maintenance Order'
Collective action in the medical community has intensified as all residents at the country's largest tertiary hospitals, known as the 'Big 5,' decided on the 16th to submit their resignation letters in protest against the increase in medical school admissions.
The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) announced that after discussions with resident representatives from the Big 5 hospitals (Seoul National University, Severance, Samsung Seoul, Seoul Asan, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital) from the night of the 15th until early morning of the 16th, all residents at these hospitals will submit their resignation letters by the 19th and cease work starting at 6 a.m. on the 20th.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that as of the morning of the same day, 154 residents from seven hospitals nationwide had submitted their resignation letters.
KIRA has formed an emergency response committee with resident representatives from the Big 5 hospitals and plans to assess the participation in resignation submissions across all training hospitals nationwide. Since university hospitals cannot operate normally without residents, if they actually stop working, a massive medical crisis is expected at these hospitals, which serve as essential medical hubs in the country.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare issued orders on the same day to all 221 training hospitals nationwide, prohibiting the use of collective leave and mandating the maintenance of essential medical services, signaling a firm stance against the action.
Park Min-su, the Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, stated at a briefing following the Central Accident Response Headquarters meeting, "We will respond strictly to illegal collective actions."
The ministry reported that as of the morning, 154 residents from seven hospitals nationwide had submitted resignation letters. The hospitals and numbers of residents who submitted resignations are as follows: 7 residents at Wonkwang University Hospital; 17 residents and 4 interns at Gachon University Gil Medical Center; 16 residents and 3 interns at Korea University Guro Hospital; 13 residents and all 23 interns at Bucheon St. Mary's Hospital; 7 residents at Chosun University Hospital; 6 residents at the Police Hospital; and all 58 interns at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.
The ministry confirmed that none of the resignation letters have been accepted so far.
The ministry plans to prohibit collective leave and enforce essential medical service orders across all training hospitals and will conduct on-site inspections at hospitals where staff did not report to work. Residents refusing to provide medical services during these inspections will receive individual 'work commencement orders,' and legal action will be taken if these orders are violated.
Meanwhile, medical students from 40 medical schools nationwide have decided to take simultaneous leave of absence. Representatives from 35 medical schools held a meeting the previous day and resolved that all students from 40 medical schools will submit leave of absence applications simultaneously on the 20th. This raises the possibility of paralysis across clinical practice sites and medical schools, affecting the entire medical community.
The medical community plans to establish specific protest plans, including a doctors' strike, on the 17th, indicating that the confrontation between the government and the medical sector over medical school admissions will likely intensify. Joo Su-ho, the Public Relations Committee Chair of the Korean Medical Association's emergency committee, stated, "The only way to resolve this crisis is for the government to withdraw its flawed policy."
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced measures such as 'non-face-to-face medical consultations and the use of PA nurses' in preparation for a doctors' strike, while also warning that collective medical actions will be considered illegal and will be strictly dealt with according to 'law and principles.' The ministry has stated it will not engage in the kind of 'compromise' seen during the 2020 medical school admission increase attempt. At that time, over 80% of residents participated in a collective work stoppage, causing medical service gaps, which led the government to abandon the admission increase. However, the ministry emphasized, "That was a special situation due to COVID-19," and declared it will not abandon the current medical school admission increase.
The ministry has ordered all training hospitals nationwide to prohibit acceptance of collective resignation letters under the Medical Service Act and Specialist Training Regulations, and it is expected that training hospitals, including the Big 5, will not accept residents' resignation letters. Nevertheless, if collective medical actions proceed and residents abandon clinical duties, the government plans to issue work commencement orders. Failure to comply may result in revocation of medical licenses.
Meanwhile, regarding the collective leave of absence by medical students, who are not subject to the Medical Service Act, the government appears to focus more on appeals than pressure. Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said the previous day, "Medical students are not yet medical professionals and thus are not subject to the Medical Service Act," adding, "We will work with the Ministry of Education to persuade students not to participate in collective actions."
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