Will the Path Open for Resigned Residents to Return? Government Considers Additional Recruitment in May

80% of Surveyed Resident Doctors Say
"We Will Return to Hospitals"

The government plans to pave the way for resigned resident doctors to return to their training hospitals.

According to the government and the medical community on May 7, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has decided to consider a plan that would allow resident doctors to return to their training hospitals within May. Typically, residency training programs begin in March and September for the first and second halves of the year, respectively. However, the ministry is considering holding an additional recruitment round, allowing those who wish to return to do so even before the regular recruitment for the second half of the year.

Resident doctors collectively resigned in February last year in protest against the government's plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000. Since then, only a very small number have returned during the special recruitment rounds for those with training or military service exemptions in the second half of last year and the first half of this year. As of now, following the first half recruitment this year, there are 1,672 residents in training nationwide, which is only 12.4% of the number before the conflict between the government and the medical community.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare had maintained its position that there would be no further additional recruitment or special exemptions during the first half of this year. However, as more senior residents have recently expressed their desire to return, the ministry has reportedly decided to actively consider holding an additional recruitment round.

If the gap in residency training exceeds three months, residents are not eligible to take the board certification exam. Therefore, for senior residents to be eligible for next year's board exam, they must return within this month. If they return during the second half recruitment, they would have to wait a full year to take the board exam.

Recently, there has been a growing number of resigned residents expressing their desire to return. Since May 4, Lim Jinsu, former planning director of the Korean Medical Association and a resigned resident, has been conducting a survey to gauge interest in returning through an additional recruitment in May. So far, about 80% of the 100 respondents have indicated that they intend to return.

However, it remains uncertain how many residents will actually return even if the May recruitment takes place, as a significant number of resigned residents have already found employment at other medical institutions such as clinics, and some, particularly junior residents, are reported to have given up on their training altogether.