"Majority of Residents Do Not Return to Field... Full Measures to Minimize Medical Gap" (Update)

Minister Jo Gyu-hong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare Announces Second Half Resident Recruitment Starting from the 22nd
18 Doctors and Medical Students Who Leaked the List of Dispatched and Returning Residents Sent to Prosecution

Amid the majority of residents not returning to medical sites, the government reiterated its policy to finalize the vacancy scale at each training hospital and proceed with the second half resident recruitment schedule without disruption.

On the 18th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, stated at the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for Doctors' Collective Action' meeting held at the Government Seoul Office, "As of yesterday (17th), the final vacancy scale for residents by training hospital has been submitted to the Training Environment Evaluation Committee and is currently under review," adding, "Regrettably, it appears that the majority of residents will not return to the medical field."

Accordingly, the government plans to proceed with the second half resident recruitment schedule as planned from the 22nd after finalizing the vacancy scale through the Training Environment Evaluation Committee.

Minister Cho explained, "It is very regrettable that the government's decision and sincerity, made for patients, residents, and our country's healthcare despite some criticism, have not been conveyed," and added, "Residents who resign this time will be able to acquire specialist qualifications by applying training exceptions if they return to the second half training course in September." He also urged, "Each training hospital should actively persuade residents who have not returned to come back to the medical field in September."

He also emphasized the intention to swiftly improve working conditions and training programs so that returning residents can feel the changes in the training environment. Minister Cho said, "We are already promoting a pilot project to reduce residents' continuous working hours, which can be up to 36 hours, to within 24 to 30 hours," and added, "We will introduce a network training system to provide quality training and diverse experiences, and establish a 'Comprehensive Resident Training Plan' within this year."

Furthermore, the government expressed its determination to minimize medical service gaps even if residents do not return. Minister Cho stated, "We will continue to support on-call allowances at tertiary hospitals with high resident dependency and personnel costs for newly hired medical staff, and strive to ensure smooth cooperation and transfer between hospitals when treating severe emergency patients," adding, "We will fundamentally innovate by establishing a sustainable medical system, such as restructuring tertiary hospitals, to move away from excessive resident dependency." He emphasized, "In particular, we will accelerate efforts so that tertiary hospitals can be operated mainly by specialists and other training personnel," and added, "We plan to start a pilot project for tertiary hospital restructuring as early as September."

He called on the medical community to participate in the Medical Reform Special Committee. Minister Cho said, "The Medical Reform Special Committee is actively advancing discussions on governance establishment for medical workforce supply and demand, medical dispute mediation, and institutional innovation measures," and added, "By participating in the committee, you will be able to directly observe the transparent and rational decision-making process of detailed medical reform tasks and the realization of these policies one by one."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare recently requested an investigation into stigmatizing acts such as publicly disclosing the list of returning residents online via platforms like Telegram. Minister Cho stated, "The police have identified a total of 18 individuals, including doctors and medical students involved in incidents such as leaking the list of dispatched public health doctors and posting the list of returning residents online, and have sent them to the prosecution," emphasizing, "We will respond strictly to illegal acts that hinder residents' return."