"Non-returning Resident Doctors Must Enlist in Military... No Regional Restrictions in Second Half Recruitment"

General soldiers not allowed, must wait for military doctors
Provincial residents can apply for 'Big 5' recruitment
Hospitals not processing resident resignations face 'quota reduction'

The government has increased pressure, stating that residents who have not returned to hospitals must enlist as military medical officer candidates. Additionally, it has decided not to impose regional restrictions on the recruitment of residents in the second half of the year, allowing residents from provincial areas to apply to large hospitals in Seoul, known as the so-called 'Big 5.'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 18th, Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, presided over a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) for the medical community's collective action, stating, "As of the 17th, the final number of resident vacancies by training hospital has been submitted to the Training Environment Evaluation Committee and is currently being compiled and reviewed," adding, "Regrettably, it appears that the majority of residents will not return to the medical field."

According to the medical community and others, each training hospital persuaded residents to return until just before the vacancy confirmation deadline the previous day, but most did not express a clear intention to return. Accordingly, it is expected that more than 10,000 out of approximately 13,000 residents will be processed as resignations.

Kim Guk-il, Director of Health and Medical Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a briefing, "It has been confirmed that some institutions did not submit the scale of resignations during this processing," adding, "We will actively consider reducing the resident quotas for these hospitals, and the scale of reductions will be determined considering the circumstances."

The government plans to proceed smoothly with the recruitment schedule for residents in the second half of the year starting from the 22nd, after confirming the vacancy scale through the Training Environment Evaluation Committee.

Minister Cho said, "If residents who resigned return to the training process in the second half of September, they can obtain specialist qualifications by applying special provisions," and urged, "We ask each training hospital to actively persuade residents who have not returned to come back to the medical field by September." Director Kim added, "Apart from the training special provisions provided upon return in September, there are no additional incentives."

However, to allow training hospitals to employ even one more resident, regional application restrictions will not be imposed in the second half recruitment. Accordingly, provincial residents will have the opportunity to return to and train at large hospitals in Seoul, such as the 'Big 5,' after resignation.

The government also emphasized that residents who do not return must enlist afterward. Director Kim explained, "For residents returning through the September recruitment, we plan to apply military enlistment deferral special provisions in consultation with the Ministry of National Defense and the Military Manpower Administration," adding, "Residents who do not return are registered as military medical officer candidates and must enlist."

He continued, "Typically, about 700 to 800 military doctors are recruited annually, but since all non-returning residents who have not completed military service cannot enter the military at once next year, some may have to wait more than a year," and said, "As military medical officer candidates, they cannot serve as regular soldiers."