"'September Training Exception' Is Unacceptable," Criticism
"The Atmosphere Is Just Let's See Until Next Year"
As training hospitals process the final resignations of residents on the 15th at the government's request, most residents have maintained their stance of "not returning."
On the 15th, Yonhap News reported that despite the government's proposed 'training special cases,' almost no one intends to reapply for the resident recruitment in September in the second half of the year, and most residents have not expressed any intention to their training hospitals as of that day.
Previously, most training hospitals nationwide notified residents to clearly state their intention to return or resign by this day. They added that if residents do not return or respond, it would be considered as having no intention to return and could result in automatic resignation processing. However, it was reported that very few residents responded to major training hospitals, including the 'Big 5.'
Resident A, who resigned from a training hospital in Seoul, said, "I have already secured a job and am just waiting for the hospital to revoke my license (process my resignation)." He added, "If they don't revoke the license this time, many people will probably file lawsuits." He further stated, "The circumstances are probably similar for everyone; local jobs are easy to find, and I have lost all affection for the (training) hospital."
Regarding the government's 'September training special cases,' he criticized, "It makes no sense for the government to say they will allow us to obtain specialist qualifications." He pointed out, "There are training requirements such as theses depending on the department, and even if you train this year, it is physically impossible to obtain the qualification next year." The government is encouraging return by applying special cases that exempt residents who resigned from the rule of 'no return to the same year and specialty within one year if resigning during training' for those who apply for the second half resident recruitment.
Another resident B in the Seoul area also said there is no intention to return, pointing out, "Since there is no change in policy, the atmosphere is that no one will go back." He mentioned, "It seems to be flowing toward a unified front of 'let's just go like this until next year,'" adding that most residents are not interested in the September recruitment and many men are considering military enlistment. Resident C from a local training hospital also stated, "As far as I know, only one or two residents are returning to our hospital," and "The fighting spirit has not changed."
On online doctor communities, posts such as "I am a resident who resigned from one of the Big 5, and it is reassuring that everyone seems more determined than expected" and "More than 90% of hospitals are proceeding with resignations as is, with only one or two returning" have been posted continuously. Additionally, there were many critical responses toward the government, such as "Do they believe they can bring residents back without withdrawing the increase?" and "The president is rather bold despite failing to manage the aftermath."
Meanwhile, each training hospital currently plans to confirm residents' resignation and return intentions by this day at the government's request and finalize the scale of vacancies. The government intends to decide the number of residents to recruit in the second half based on this.
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