The tug-of-war between the South Korean government and the medical profession over the proposed increase in the number of medical students is turning into chaos. The authorities raised the health alert level to "serious" on Thursday, February 22, given the disruption to hospital activity caused by an unpopular strike launched by doctors. They are protesting against plans to increase the number of medical students by 2025 – from the current 3,058 to just over 5,000.
The doctors have condemned a decision taken without consultation, likely to provoke a sudden influx of poorly trained practitioners. Anger is particularly strong among interns, who have unleashed a vast protest movement. According to the Ministry of Health, 9,275, or 74.4% of them, had submitted their resignations to hospitals by Wednesday – which were not accepted – and ceased their activities. Joo Soo-ho, spokesman for the Korea Medical Association (KMA), accused the government of "demonizing doctors." The protest movement has spread to medical schools.
As a result, five major Seoul hospitals, including Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital and Seoul National University Hospital Center, have reduced their operations by 50%. Emergency departments are being forced to turn away patients.
The government had to open military and police hospitals to civilians and extend the opening hours of public medical institutions. In accordance with legislation on medical activity, it has ordered doctors to return to work. Those who refuse face up to three years' imprisonment or a 30 million won (€20,800) fine, or even revocation of their medical license. Justice Minister Park Sung-jae accused them of protecting "their personal interests."
The shortage of medical personnel is a long-standing problem in South Korea, which has 2.6 doctors and 8.8 nurses per 1,000 inhabitants, compared with an average of 3.7 and 9.2 in the developed countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. However, 90% of doctors practice in towns and cities. The government anticipates a shortfall of 15,000 practitioners by 2035, in a country undergoing accelerated ageing. Rural areas will be hardest hit.
In August 2020, the progressive president, Moon Jae-in (2017-2022), proposed to increase the number of doctor posts by 4,000 over 10 years. While the country was in the middle of a Covid-19 pandemic, doctors went on strike and had the project canceled. In 2023, they convinced the new conservative president, Yoon Suk-yeol, to block the adoption of a law extending nurses' prerogatives, which they opposed. The government also increased doctors' fees for services such as pediatrics, obstetrics and emergency medicine.
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