Strong Resistance from Specialty Doctors, Influence of Closed Culture of Doctors,
,
,
Recruitment notice for specialty doctors attached to a hospital
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Sung-min = A recruitment notice for new specialty doctors attached to a designated area for specialty doctors at a large hospital in downtown Seoul on the afternoon of the 18th. 2024.7.18,
,
, ‘ (Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Seong Seo-ho = As the training hospitals that have been without doctors for five months plan to recruit nearly 8,000 specialty doctors in the latter half of the year and with the focus on how many specialty doctors will return.’,
,
, ‘ Despite the government’s requests, a considerable number of hospitals are not disclosing the results of doctor resignations due to strong resistance from the medical field. Specialty doctors are also demanding a complete reconsideration of the existing position, not budging from their stance requesting a blank increase in medical school quotas. Therefore, it is more likely that the scale of their return in the latter half-year may not be significant at present.’,
,
, ‘ According to the government and the medical community, out of 151 hospitals that recruited specialty doctors until the 17th, 110 hospitals have submitted the results of resignation, of which 7,648 out of 14,531 specialty doctors as of March this year (including those who gave up their appointments) have resigned.’,
,
, ‘ Hospitals that have not submitted resignation results in violation of the government’s request to resign from non-returning specialty doctors now amount to 41.’,
,
, ‘ In response to these resignations, these training hospitals have applied to recruit 7,707 people (2,557 interns and 5,150 residents) for the latter half of the year. The recruitment number also reflects vacancies that have occurred regardless of the specialty doctor exodus.’,
,
, ‘ The government plans to provide special training so that returning specialty doctors can obtain specialist qualifications without delay by supporting their application for the latter half of the year recruitment.’,
,
, ‘ In particular, for male specialty doctors who have mandatory military service obligations, the government plans to apply a special measure in consultation with the Ministry of National Defense and Military Manpower Administration to allow them to postpone military enlistment.’,
,
, ‘ On the other hand, specialty doctors who do not respond to the latter half-year recruitment must serve a long period in the military as officer candidates or public health doctors, which could greatly impact their future professional activities as doctors.’,
,
,
Minister Cho Gyu-hong presiding over the central disaster headquarters
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Jae-gu,
,
, ‘ The government has also decided to relax the restriction on regional mobility in the latter half-year recruitment to encourage specialty doctors to return even a little more.’,
,
, ‘ Giving specialty doctors from local training hospitals the opportunity to move to large hospitals in Seoul and the metropolitan area, including the ‘Big 5′ hospitals, in the latter half-year recruitment may be a sufficient incentive for provincial specialty doctors to find hospitals with better training environments.’,
,
, ‘ However, it is unknown how many specialty doctors will actually respond to the latter half-year recruitment.’,
,
, ‘ Medical associations argue that the government’s medical reform policy, including expanding medical school quotas, will lead to a decline in the level of medical care in South Korea and that it is not easy to return for many due to the closed culture unique to the medical society.’,
,
, ‘ The National Assembly of Professors of Medical Schools held a general meeting the day before and warned that the government’s means of dividing vacancies resulting from mass resignations of specialty doctors into a latter half-year recruitment will bring about the worst result of the decline of regional and essential healthcare.’,
,
, ‘ Online, acts of ‘labeling’ continue, such as the public release of the names of returning specialty doctors, making it a situation where significant courage is needed to actually return despite personal circumstances.’,
,
, ‘ The police have identified and referred 18 doctors and medical students who were involved in incidents such as leaking deployment orders and publishing the names of returning specialty doctors on the internet.’,
,
, ‘ soho@yna.co.kr’,
,
,