{"id":2203881,"date":"2024-02-20T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T23:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2203881"},"modified":"2024-02-19T17:22:10","modified_gmt":"2024-02-19T08:22:10","slug":"south-korea-faces-medical-meltdown-amid-doctor-strike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/south-korea-faces-medical-meltdown-amid-doctor-strike\/","title":{"rendered":"South Korea faces medical meltdown amid doctor strike"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In response to a nationwide <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yna.co.kr\/view\/AKR20240219040652063?section=news\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mass walkout<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by South Korean trainee doctors over the government\u2019s plans to increase medical school admissions, the government has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.opm.go.kr\/opm\/news\/press-release.do?mode=view&amp;articleNo=156172\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mobilized<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> several countermeasures to prevent healthcare disruption. The Ministry of National Defense <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20240219003200315?section=news\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">announced<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> it will open military hospital emergency rooms to the public, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare has <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mohw.go.kr\/board.es?mid=a10503000000&amp;bid=0027&amp;list_no=1480315&amp;act=view\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mandated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that trainee doctors at all 221 training hospitals nationwide continue to provide medical treatment. The government <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mohw.go.kr\/board.es?mid=a10503010100&amp;bid=0027&amp;cg_code=\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stated<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Feb. 6 that it will raise the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 slots starting in 2025, from the current 3,058, amid concerns of exacerbating hospital operation and patient care issues.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To further mitigate potential impacts, the government announced the full expansion of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/en.yna.co.kr\/view\/AEN20240219001851315?section=news\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">telemedicine services<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and the designation of 409 hospitals with emergency rooms on emergency alert. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo criticized the doctors\u2019 collective action plans, underlining the risks to public health and safety.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the walkout by South Korean trainee doctors snowballs and turns into a strike, it will potentially leave thousands of patients without critical care. The government\u2019s countermeasures, including leveraging military hospitals and expanding telemedicine, may offer temporary relief. However, relying on stopgap measures long term could strain resources and reduce the quality of care as it may overburden military healthcare resources.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gallup.co.kr\/gallupdb\/reportContent.asp?seqNo=1457\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gallup Korea poll<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on Feb. 16 showed that 76% of respondents had positive views of the government\u2019s plan to expand medical school enrollment, while only 16% see it as negative. However, South Korea\u2019s five largest hospitals (Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Samsung Seoul Hospital, Seoul Asan Hospital and Seoul Saint Mary\u2019s Hospital) <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.doctorsnews.co.kr\/news\/articleView.html?idxno=153459\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">anticipate<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that hundreds of doctors could resign, severely impacting surgery schedules and reducing hospitals\u2019 ability to maintain operation rooms. A prolonged conflict will likely affect the public\u2019s perception of doctors and the government.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The potential doctors\u2019 strike and the government\u2019s makeshift solutions could also affect the country\u2019s nurses, who are at risk of being further marginalized in the healthcare debate. Yoon <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2023\/05\/politics-of-care-uproar-over-nursing-law-sets-up-difficult-decision-for-yoon\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">vetoed<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the Nursing Act last year \u2014 despite the Korea Nurses Association\u2019s argument that it would enhance healthcare delivery. Yoon\u2019s decision to side with the Korean Medical Association, which now finds itself at odds with the government\u2019s medical school enrollment plans, underscores an ongoing tension within healthcare policy decisions, potentially exacerbating the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.koreanurse.or.kr\/board\/board_read.php?board_id=press&amp;no=1551\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">challenges<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> nurses face in seeking recognition and authority within the healthcare system.<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"content-tags\"><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/culture-society\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Culture &amp; Society<\/span><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/tag\/domestic-politics\/\"><span class=\"tag\">Domestic Politics<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In response to a nationwide mass walkout by South Korean trainee doctors over the government\u2019s plans to increase medical school admissions, the government has mobilized several countermeasures to prevent healthcare disruption. The Ministry of National Defense announced it will open military hospital emergency rooms to the public, and the Ministry of Health and Welfare has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10407,"featured_media":2203882,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[25,27],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>South Korea faces medical meltdown amid doctor strike - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/02\/south-korea-faces-medical-meltdown-amid-doctor-strike\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"South Korea faces medical meltdown amid doctor strike - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In response to a nationwide mass walkout by South Korean trainee doctors over the government\u2019s plans to increase medical school admissions, the government has mobilized several countermeasures to prevent healthcare disruption. 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