SEOUL: South Korea’s vice health minister Park Min-soo said on Monday that doctors are taking part in a mass walkout might face suspension of their licences if they do not return to work by March. Vice Minister for Health said that around 9,000 trainee doctors had walked off their jobs in the country.
The minister said that starting in March, it is inevitable that those who do not return will face suspension of licences. The walkout has also disrupted hospital services, with some emergency rooms turning away patients and many surgeries being postponed.
S Korea Doctors may be Suspended: Minister
Local media reported that surgeries have been cancelled following about two-thirds of the South Korea’s young doctors walked off the job in February in protest.
The young doctors said their working conditions and pay should be the priority, rather than the government’s plan to increase the number of physicians in the country. The officials say more staff are required to increase healthcare services in remote parts of the country.
Senior doctors in South Korea have not walked out but asked the government to scrap its plan and also held several rallies.
Resident doctors and interns in South Korea work 36-hour shifts, compared to shifts of less than 24 hours in the United States, Korean Intern Resident Association said.
