Government Requests Medical School Professors to Persuade Residents to Return

Minister Sang-min Lee Chairs Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters Meeting
"Some Professors Oppose Recruiting Medical Residents, Making It Difficult for Their Students to Return, Which Is Regrettable"

Medical school professors are opposing the recruitment of residents for the second half of the year, and medical students are boycotting the national medical licensing exam, intensifying collective actions within the medical community. The government has reiterated its commitment to medical reform and is urging a swift return to the field.

Lee Sang-min, the 2nd Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety), held a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters on the 25th and said, "It is very regrettable that some medical school professors are opposing the recruitment of residents for the second half of the year, making it difficult for their long-absent students to return."

Earlier, the Emergency Response Committee of medical school professors from the so-called 'Big Five' hospitals?Catholic University, Korea University, Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, and Ulsan University?expressed their refusal to agree to the recruitment of residents for the second half of the year. They explained, "It is difficult to produce high-quality specialists with a makeshift resident training system that relies on partial recruitment without the full return of residents."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Lee referred to the patients' perspective and urged a change in the stance of medical school professors. He said, "I hope medical school professors will no longer ignore the desperate needs of many patients and will persuade more residents to return," adding, "Please warmly welcome the returning residents and nurture them into excellent specialists."

He also addressed the residents, saying, "The government has decided to withdraw all administrative orders against residents for the prompt normalization of medical services and to apply special training exceptions so that residents who resigned can reapply for training in September," and urged, "To the residents who resigned, I hope you return to the patients as 'doctors who save lives' and continue on the proud path of becoming specialists."

However, with fourth-year medical students showing signs of refusing to take the national licensing exam, the confrontation between the medical community and the government is expected to escalate further. The practical exam for the national licensing exam, which selects new doctors for next year, is scheduled to run until the 26th, but medical students are refusing to take the exam as part of their collective action. If medical students boycott the exam, the supply of new doctors next year will become difficult.

Despite this, the government remains firm on the details of medical reform. Deputy Lee said, "(The Medical Reform Special Committee) plans to announce a roadmap of reform tasks, including legislative amendments and financial investment plans, by the end of August," adding, "A pilot project to restructure tertiary general hospitals to focus on severe, emergency, and rare disease treatment centered on specialists is scheduled to begin in September."