"We are very sorry that we will be unable to be by your side."That's what the Department of Pediatric Nephrology professors at Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) wrote in a notice to patients informing them of their resignations on Aug. 31. Only two professors are now working in the departmen
After some doctors claimed that the government had not issued the Statement of Need for J-1 visas to those planning to train in U.S. hospitals, government officials said such claims were "factually incorrect."However, the medical community appears suspicious, with some saying that the government is
Young physicians from overseas have voiced their support for the resignations and allied leave of absence by Korean trainee doctors and medical students protesting the medical school enrollment quota increase.They also called for the Korean government to stop administrative penalties for collective
As the healthcare void continues due to a standoff between the government and the medical community over the increasing number of medical students, a patient group said it would ask the World Health Organization (WHO) to intervene in the ongoing medical crisis in Korea.The Korea Severe Disease Assoc
Following his public speech on Monday, President Yoon Suk Yeol has proposed a direct dialogue with striking interns and residents. However, trainee doctors remain skeptical, worrying that the meeting would be a place of persuasion and appeasement instead of dialogue.A presidential spokesperson said
On Monday, President Yoon Suk Yeol came forward to explain his plan to increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 and persuade resigned trainee doctors to return to teaching hospitals.In conclusion, however, medical sources said Yoon’s 50-minute speech hardened the junior doctors’ determi
The International Labor Organization (ILO) said it has intervened with the Korean government regarding Seoul’s order for trainee doctors to start work and called for it to resolve the issue through social dialogue.In response, the government said it would sincerely explain its position to the intern
Medical school professors repeatedly point out that the government's decision to increase in the medical school enrollment quota will compromise the quality of medical education.Some experts have gone so far as to express concerns that such actions could regress medical education by a century.As par
Trainee pediatricians who have left hospitals have come forward to demand a fundamental package to resuscitate essential medicine. They say they could not help but quit to block the government's wrong policies.Interns and residents who walked off their jobs at pediatrics departments at 18 major hosp
As the resignations of interns and residents enter a second month, various healthcare workers, including nurses, are reeling from the growing workload.Especially worrying is not only physician assistant (PA) nurses but also general-duty nurses are being forced to do doctors' work, resulting in a dan
Backing away from its hardline stance, the Korean government has expressed its willingness to become more flexible in imposing punitive measures against resigned interns and residents and talk with them.Still, the conciliatory moves seem to have fallen short of changing the minds of trainee doctors,
More than a month after interns and residents left hospitals in protest against the government's expansion of medical school enrollment quota, a university hospital professor who kept working at the hospital, has died, shocking the medical community.Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH) said a p
Many Korean male medical students who took leave of absence en masse prepared to enlist in the military. However, the government maintains a position to encourage them to return to their studies as the allied leave itself is not recognized.The Association of Korean Medical University and Graduate Me
Medical school professors said both the government and the medical community should make concessions to resolve the current situation. Still, the government has stuck to its stance of increasing the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 per year.Bang Jae-seung, head of the National Medical School
Korean trainee doctors, including interns and residents, have appealed to the International Labor Organization (ILO) for assistance in addressing the Seoul government's directive to resume operations.In a news release distributed on Wednesday, the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) said it ha
The government's deployment of public health doctors and military surgeons to fill healthcare gaps in teaching hospitals has sparked confusion and dissatisfaction from day one.Deployed public health and military doctors are upset because they are being treated poorly, including housing, and are forc
Concerns are mounting that the government’s push to increase medical school enrollment quota could trigger “medical school craze” among office workers.Some private educational institutions, called hagwon in Korean, and online lecturing firms are “encouraging” office workers to study and apply to med
No fewer than 3,093 students applied for five additional medical school recruitments for the class of 2024, reaffirming a “medical school craze” that went way beyond simple concentration.Jongro Academy, a prominent extracurricular educational institute, has disclosed application details of 22 medica
The government has moved toward restricting overseas travel for interns and residents who resigned in protest to the increase in medical school enrollment quota, causing controversy.Under the new measure, doctors who tendered their resignations in a collective action must have a recommendation lette
The Korean government has compelled medical schools to submit the personal information of representatives of medical school students who have pledged to embark on a collective leave of absence this week, as revealed in a document obtained by Korea Biomedical Review. The Korean Medical Student Associ