31 Returning Residents... Government Requests "Please Stop Collective Action"

As the deadline (the 20th) for residents who left medical sites in protest against the increase in medical school admissions to return in order to obtain specialist qualifications next year has passed, it has been reported that only 31 residents have returned. The Ministry of Health and Welfare maintains that punishment for the approximately 9,000 residents who have not returned is inevitable.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 21st, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that after checking 100 training hospitals, the number of residents who reported to work on the 20th was 659, an increase of 31 from the 17th. This accounts for about 5.1% of the total 13,000 residents. Despite the fact that residents who collectively resigned on February 19 will lose their eligibility to take the specialist exam next year if they do not return by the 20th, marking a three-month gap in their training period, only a very small number appear to have returned.

On the same day, Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, pointed out at the 46th meeting of the Central Accident Response Headquarters for the doctors' collective action held in the morning, "The situation where residents have left hospitals for more than three months continues, causing inconvenience to the public's medical use, overwork of on-site medical staff, and increasing social burdens to maintain emergency medical systems."

He added, "The essence of the problem lies in the fact that residents have left their workplaces and there is no movement to resolve this situation. According to opinions from the field, there are residents who want to return and those who hope for dialogue with the government, but it is unfortunate that expressing such opinions immediately makes them targets of attacks."

Vice Minister Park said, "Each resident may have different personal thoughts, so I hope they will have the courage to freely express various opinions," and "The government will also respect the intentions of individual residents as much as possible."

He also urged, "Since the increase in medical school admissions has effectively been settled, I once again call on the medical community to respect the judiciary's decision, stop collective actions, and engage in constructive dialogue for the future of the Republic of Korea instead of wasting time on fruitless debates."

On the same day, Vice Minister Park appeared on KBS Radio's Jeonggyeok Sisa in the morning and said, "There may be disciplinary actions planned for residents who have not returned," adding that "punishment seems inevitable for those residents who have not returned."

Vice Minister Park explained, "However, when to take such disciplinary actions and the level of punishment are being reviewed through various options within the government," and "Since the reasons for leaving the medical field may differ individually, a procedure to verify this is necessary." He added, "We plan to comprehensively review these matters, including clearly distinguishing between those who have returned and those who have not, and prepare additional measures in the future."