The South Korean government has begun taking steps to revoke the medical licenses of thousands of striking doctors, as concerns grow that the months-long dispute is impacting primary health care.
The strike by nearly 12,000 doctors from 100 teaching hospitals has led to surgery cancellations, longer waiting times and delays in treatment, including for patients seeking emergency care, according to media reports.
The Health Ministry said it had initiated procedures that could see 4,900 of the striking doctors lose their licenses if they continue to defy orders to return to work.
The ministry also said it had sent administrative notices following warnings that strikers faced a three-month suspension – a punishment that could delay their ability to qualify as specialists by at least a year.
The intensifying dispute began as a protest against government plans to dramatically increase the number of doctors in training to address rural shortages and increased demand for services caused by South Korea’s rapidly aging population .
But the 11,994 striking doctors, who make up 93% of the trainee workforce, claim the recruitment of 2,000 extra students a year from 2025 will jeopardize the quality of services. Instead, they have called for improvements in wages and working conditions.
This week the health ministry said it would appoint 20 military surgeons and 138 public health doctors to boost staffing levels in selected hospitals, but denied that the country’s health services had descended into chaos.
Chun Byung-wang, director of the ministry’s health and medical policy department, suggested that doctors who return will avoid punishment. “The government will take into account the circumstances and protect trainee doctors if they return to work before the administrative measure is completed,” Chun said.
He added: “The government will not give up dialogue. The door is always open. The government will respect and listen to the opinions of the medical community as a companion to medical reform.”
In an attempt to resolve the dispute, the government last week announced measures to improve pay and conditions for junior doctors, as well as a review of continuous 36-hour shifts – a major objection among junior doctors. But the concessions have failed to satisfy doctors.
The demands on both parties to negotiate are increasing.
“Doctors and the government are not in a boxing ring,” the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper said in an editorial. “People’s patience is running out. The way out of this quagmire must be found through dialogue between the two sides.”
Critics of the recruitment plan have accused the country’s conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol of using the medical reforms to boost his People Power Party’s prospects in next month’s national parliamentary elections.
A poll published last week by Yonhap news agency found that 84% of respondents supported hiring more doctors, and 43% said striking doctors should face harsh penalties.