South Korean Government Deploys Military Doctors To Hospitals Amid Mass Strikes

Illustration of hospitals in South Korea. (Wikimedia Commons/Neoalpha)

JAKARTA - South Korea will deploy military doctors and their communities to the hospital in the next few days, as part of an emergency measure to support the healthcare system, after a mass strike by an intern, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on Wednesday.

PM Han also appealed to interns to return to work according to the time limit set by the government this Thursday, saying authorities would listen to their concerns.

"The government fully understands that doctors undergoing training have serious concerns about the work environment and future careers, and we are looking for steps to improve this from a number of perspectives," he said at a government meeting.

Starting next month, doctors serving in the military and local clinics in lieu of military service will be assigned to hospitals affected by the strike, said PM Han.

It is known that two-thirds of resident doctors and interns have left their jobs to protest against the government's plan to increase the number of students received at medical schools, in an effort to address what authorities say is a shortage of doctors.

Young doctors who protested said the government must pay attention to salaries and work conditions first, before trying to increase the number of doctors.

On the other hand, the government has warned they can revoke the permission of doctors who do not comply with orders to return to work.

Around 9,000 intern doctors have joined the protests, disrupting services at major hospitals forced to refuse some patients and cancel operations and procedures.

Meanwhile, senior doctors and private practitioners have also opposed the government's plan to increase admission of new medical schools, saying the medical community is not invited to consult adequately.