Professors at Seoul Asan Medical Center have decided to suspend their medical services for one week starting from July 4. The extension of the suspension will be adjusted according to government policies.
The Emergency Response Committee (ERC) of Ulsan University College of Medicine announced the results of a survey conducted on July 17 regarding future courses of action among professors at Seoul Asan Medical Center.
According to the ERC, 79.1% (292 respondents) of the survey participants supported the suspension on July 4. Regarding the duration of the suspension, 54.0% answered "one week suspension followed by adjustment based on government policy," while 30.2% favored an "indefinite suspension."
Among the professors at Seoul Asan Medical Center, 60.9% (225 respondents) adjusted their schedules by taking leave or suspending medical services on July 18, the day of the full-scale medical strike and doctors’ rally led by the Korean Medical Association (KMA). The ERC explained, "Among the remaining 164 professors who continued seeing patients, 136 (82.9%) responded that 'although practical suspension was difficult due to circumstances, they support the suspension.'"
With the decision of Seoul Asan Medical Center professors to suspend services, the indefinite suspension decisions are spreading among major tertiary hospitals including the country’s 'Big 5' hospitals. Professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine began an indefinite suspension from this day, and the Emergency Response Committee of Yonsei University College of Medicine resolved to start an indefinite suspension from July 27.
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