Medical Community's 'Postponement of Strike' Movement... Next Week a Turning Point for Non-returning Residents' Disciplinary Actions

The conflict between the government and the medical community over the increase in medical school quotas is expected to reach a new turning point next week with the deadline for disciplinary action against non-returning residents. Prior to this, following Seoul National University Hospital and the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the faculty at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital have postponed their strike, and if the professors at Severance Hospital also join in suspending their strike, it is anticipated that the dialogue atmosphere between the government and the medical community will accelerate.

According to the government and medical circles on the 25th, the Emergency Response Committee of the Catholic University College of Medicine Faculty Council, which includes professors from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, held a meeting that day and decided to temporarily postpone the indefinite strike. This decision came after a survey conducted by the committee from the 21st until the afternoon of the previous day showed consensus that while a strike protest against government policy is necessary, the method should be changed.

The professors at Seoul Asan Hospital, who had announced a 'one-week strike' starting next month on the 4th followed by an indefinite strike depending on the situation, have also stepped back and are closely monitoring the situation. A representative of the Seoul Asan Hospital faculty emergency committee stated, "It is flexible depending on changes in government policy," and added, "We are considering focusing on critical care."

Seoul National University Hospital Ends Strike
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Seong-min = On the morning of June 24, 2024, a medical staff member was moving at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, as the hospital professors ended their strike and returned to the clinical site.
ksm7976@yna.co.kr
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Accordingly, the government also emphasized its willingness to engage in dialogue and urged the medical community to "come to the negotiating table as soon as possible." To recruit interns and residents for the second half of the year, which is firmly scheduled by mid-next month, the government must identify vacancies and determine the number of recruits within this month. This requires a decisive action regarding disciplinary measures against non-returning residents. Through the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting and a briefing on the same day, the government requested training hospitals to persuade residents to return by the end of June and to process resignations for those who do not return.

However, the decision on whether Severance Hospital will proceed with or halt its collective strike remains uncertain. Previously, the professors at Severance Hospital had announced an indefinite collective strike starting on the 27th.

The movement to suspend strikes within the medical community is seen as a positive signal for dialogue between the government and the medical sector, which is forming through the establishment of the Special Committee for Proper Medical Care (Olteukwi). It is known that the government and Olteukwi are actively conducting behind-the-scenes consultations to initiate full-scale dialogue.

The government is also considering measures to encourage the return of residents who have left. As a conciliatory measure, the option to lift the regulation that restricts returning residents from rejoining within one year after resignation is being discussed.