South Korea’s Healthcare Crisis Emerges as Junior Physicians Face Legal Danger During Strike
In the beautiful hallways of St. Mary’s Hospital in Seoul, a disconcerting silence reigns as around 75 percent of junior doctors in South Korea continue their week-long walkout against government proposals to dramatically raise medical school enrollment. The government is now threatening to take legal action against the striking physicians, including canceling their medical licenses, if they do not go back to work right once, which has worsened the issue.
The country’s poor doctor-to-patient ratio, which is made worse by an aging population, is the primary cause of the strike, and the government’s plan to increase the number of medical students admitted each year is the source of the problem. Critics claim that this action would lower the standard of service, but the striking physicians maintain that systemic problems in the healthcare system are to blame for their overwork and low pay.
Junior physician Ryu Ok Hada, who hasn’t shown up for work in more than a week, highlights the demanding schedules, with some employees clocking over 100 hours a week for what they perceive to be inadequate compensation. Despite their comparatively high pay, junior doctors’ incomes are often on level with or less than the minimum wage due to the responsibilities placed on them.
The strike has already caused delays in scheduled surgeries, resulting in a reduction of surgery capacity at certain hospitals. President Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration has rejected the physicians’ resignations and is now threatening legal action and license suspension for anyone who don’t report back to work right now.
The government is holding off on making doctors return to work in the hopes that the fear of fines will end the impasse. Still, the protesting physicians are unwavering, and if the government continues to take an unyielding stand, senior physicians may decide to join the strike in response to a vote that the Korean Medical Association will have on Sunday.
Patients, healthcare professionals, and the government are embroiled in a heated dispute as South Korea struggles with this healthcare crisis, underscoring the pressing need for resolution and systemic change.
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