Internship Doctor Strikes, South Koreans Undergo Treatment At Military Hospital

JAKARTA - More than 100 civilian patients visit military hospitals, often with mass strikes carried out by interns at public hospitals, in protest against the government's plan to increase the quota for admission of medical school students, the Ministry of Defense said Monday.

Military hospitals have fully opened their emergency wards for civilians since February 20, as thousands of young doctors start leaving their jobs in protest against plans to add 2,000 medical school seats next year.

As of 6 a.m. on Monday, a total of 123 civilians have visited 12 military hospitals across the country operating emergency units, including the Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, according to the ministry.

It said several patients underwent surgery at the hospital, including a man in his 50s who almost lost both legs after being injured as a result of falling.

The patient has been transferred to the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, after being refused to be operated by two public hospitals due to a shortage of medical personnel, according to the ministry.

Although the military hospital emergency rooms received civilian patients even before the mass strike, they had difficulty accessing the entry procedures for civilians.

In response, the Ministry of Defense then relaxed the regulation to allow better access.

It is known that thousands of interns remained out of work on Monday, marking the 14th straight day of the strike, protesting plans to add 2,000 medical school seats starting next year, from the current 3,058 seats.

The government gave doctors time to protest until last Thursday to return to work, warning them that non-compliance could result in punitive action, including criminal penalties or the revocation of their doctor's license.

So far, the warning hasn't helped them much to get back to work.

As of last Thursday, 8,945 training participant doctors had left their workplaces. Of that number, the Second Deputy Health Minister Park Min-soo said as many as 565 people had returned to work.

South Korea's Ministry of Health on Monday said it began taking procedures to suspend permits of around 7,000 interns who violated government orders to return to work, warning such penalties could not be changed.

According to Park, the government has taken steps to suspend medical permits for training participant doctors who leave their workplaces.

"This action cannot be changed," Park said, adding the punishment would leave a permanent record affecting their future career path.

"The government intends to conduct an investigation in the field to find violations, which will be followed up with a response based on law and principles," Park explained.