Government "Withdrawal of Administrative Sanctions on Residents"... On Fairness Controversy, "Urgent Need to Resolve Medical Service Gaps"

The government has decided not to impose administrative sanctions such as license suspension on all residents. This exemption applies to residents who have not left, those who have already returned, as well as those who continue not to return. Regarding the fairness controversy surrounding this decision, the government explained that it "judged resolving the medical service gap to be more urgent."

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong is answering questions at the briefing of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on doctors' collective action held on the 8th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

On the afternoon of the 8th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, stated at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters briefing on doctors' collective action, "From today onward, we have decided not to impose administrative sanctions on all residents regardless of their return status." Accordingly, the government plans not to impose any administrative sanctions on all residents going forward. However, when asked whether the administrative sanctions would be canceled, Minister Cho explained that it is a "withdrawal," adding, "Since the measures were lawfully implemented according to the law, cancellation is not being considered."

Minister Cho also said, "For residents who have returned and those who resigned but will retake training in September this year, special training exceptions will be applied," and explained, "We will prepare exceptions tailored to each year and return timing to minimize training gaps while ensuring that the timing of obtaining specialist qualifications is not delayed." This is interpreted as accepting the recommendation made on the 5th by the Training Environment Evaluation Committee under the Ministry of Health and Welfare to suspend administrative sanctions on residents and to recognize training exceptions for residents returning in the second half of the year.

This measure stems from the plan to normalize medical services by having residents return to training hospitals starting September 1, the second half of the year. Training hospitals will identify the shortage of residents by mid-month and finalize the recruitment targets and schedules for residents in the second half of the year. If the number of recruited residents falls significantly short again in the second half, the medical service gap will inevitably continue. The government aims to encourage residents' return through the carrot of withdrawing administrative sanctions and granting exceptions. However, Minister Cho also urged, as training hospitals begin the second half resident recruitment schedule from the 22nd, "Please complete the resignation processing for residents who have not returned by the 15th and confirm the vacancies."

On the 8th, medical staff were moving in a large hospital in Seoul as the government announced a plan to completely withdraw administrative measures against all residents.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The representative exception applied to residents is the "relaxation of return restrictions." According to current resident appointment guidelines, residents who resign during training cannot return to the same department and year within one year. However, to encourage return, if this is revised, residents who left will be able to work in the same department and year at another hospital starting this September. Previously, some training hospital directors also requested the Ministry of Health and Welfare to revise these guidelines to facilitate residents' return. Minister Cho said, "We will relax the provisions so that residents who plan to retake the exam in September can return."

Minister Cho also promised to improve residents' training conditions. He said, "Weekly working hours will be reduced from 80 to 60 hours, and continuous working hours will be gradually reduced to 24 hours based on the results of pilot projects," adding, "We will designate and expand faculty personnel." Regarding medical workforce supply and demand, he said, "If residents participate in the Medical Reform Special Committee along with the medical community and present their opinions, the projection plans after the 2026 academic year can be discussed more objectively and transparently," and urged, "Please return to the training field and join the discussions on system improvements."

However, fairness controversies are expected to arise from these preferential measures. This is because no administrative sanctions will be imposed on residents who have never left, those who have already returned, or those returning in September, as well as residents who continuously do not return. Minister Cho said, "I humbly accept the criticism that there is a fairness issue," and explained, "Please understand that this is a government decision made because resolving the current medical service gap is more urgent." Jung Yoon-soon, General Director of the Central Accident Response Headquarters, also appealed, "If residents do not return, they may suffer personal damage," adding, "There are significant disadvantages such as enlistment and exam restrictions, so please make a decision by July 15 to avoid severe personal harm."