Training Hospitals Confirm Scale of Resident Vacancy by Today

Recruitment Schedule for Second Half Resident Physicians to Proceed from the 22nd

As residents who left hospitals have not returned, each training hospital is finalizing the 'vacancy scale' for recruiting residents in the second half of the year.

According to the medical community on the 17th, each training hospital must complete the resignation processing of residents who have not returned by this day as requested by the government, confirm the vacancies, and submit them to the Training Environment Evaluation Committee under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. This is due to the government's decision to apply 'training exceptions' such as easing reapplication restrictions within one year after resignation and relaxing recruitment subject restrictions to encourage residents to return.

As of the resignation processing deadline on the 15th, only 1,155 out of a total of 13,756 residents nationwide reported to work at 211 training hospitals, resulting in an attendance rate of 8.4%.

Not only have most residents not returned, but they have also consistently remained unresponsive without expressing any intention to return or resign, leading to ongoing controversy over whether to process their resignations collectively.

Initially, hospitals warned residents that if they did not return or clearly express their intentions by the deadline according to government policy, they could be collectively processed as resigned. However, there has been considerable internal opposition within hospitals regarding this resignation processing method, making it difficult to finalize.

Nonetheless, to fill the continuing medical gap, it seems inevitable to proceed with resignation processing as the second half resident recruitment schedule is set to begin on the 22nd.

A hospital official said, "There is internal opposition regarding the collective resignation of residents who have not returned, and discussions are ongoing, but considering the second half resident recruitment schedule, it is highly likely that the processing will follow government policy."

The timing for accepting resignation letters at major training hospitals is also likely to be in June, in line with government policy. The government has emphasized that even if residents submitted resignation letters in February, the 'legal' effect of the resignation only takes place from June 4, when the order prohibiting acceptance of resignation letters was lifted.