[Reporter’s Notebook] Citizens Wiser Than Doctors, This Time Is Different

"I made an appointment to see a professor in internal medicine, so it doesn't matter if there are no residents. However, since the wait seems long, I will postpone it."

On the 20th, when residents began submitting their resignation letters, a reporter's acquaintance who had an outpatient appointment at a Big 5 university hospital for respiratory disease said, "Since it's a first visit anyway, I think they will only do tests, and the results will take forever, so I will go to a smaller hospital," and canceled the appointment.

On the 20th, the outpatient waiting area of a large hospital in Seoul appeared quiet as residents of the Big 5 hospitals stopped working at 6 a.m. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

As a medical crisis unfolds again due to the collective resignation of residents, many patients, including those awaiting cancer surgery, are anxiously fearing for their lives. However, the majority of citizens who do not require urgent medical care are responding more wisely than during the medical strikes in 2014 and 2020.

In past medical strikes, there was a saying, "Patients cannot endure beyond the first week and demand that hospitals open unconditionally." This pattern gave residents confidence that striking would lead to victory. However, the government believes that this time patients and the public are responding differently than before. Public opinion is overwhelmingly negative toward the collective resignation of residents, and patients themselves are wisely managing the situation by implementing a kind of 'triage' (an emergency patient classification system that determines which medical institution and treatment to use). The reporter's acquaintance who canceled their appointment saying, "I don't need to go to a university hospital now," and turned to a local clinic is a good example.

This is because, uniquely worldwide, the medical community has conducted total strikes every few years, and the public has undergone 'practical training' to cope with medical service gaps during those times. Additionally, a Ministry of Health and Welfare official interpreted that the experience of COVID-19 has enhanced the nationwide learning effect, helping people understand which hospitals or clinics to use according to their health status.

The government estimates that the emergency medical system coping with the residents' resignation can hold out for up to three weeks. If the medical community continues to neglect patients, maintaining the health of the entire population will become impossible, and the wise responses currently shown by the public will ultimately be in vain.

"I will prioritize the health and life of patients." It is hard to believe that residents who took the Hippocratic Oath and donned their gowns deliberately waited for this situation to submit their resignation letters. The medical community naturally has the right to express opinions on government medical policies. However, while the public responds wisely, it is hoped that doctors will return to the side of patients and hold their hands. Once this period passes, the public will no longer wait for the medical community.