Professors from Seoul National University (SNU) College of Medicine have proposed forming a consultative body to resolve the ongoing medical turmoil, which would include the government, the medical community, lawmakers, medical residents, and civic groups representing the public.

They also suggested requesting reputable foreign organizations, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to study Korea’s medical workforce data.

If the government fails to devise a reasonable solution despite such proposals, they vowed to tender resignation letters from Tuesday next week.

"At the general meeting of the SNU Medical Professors Council on Monday, 87 percent of participants decided that it was time for a collective action," said Bang Jae-seung, head of the council’s emergency committee. "If the government does not show an active stance by presenting a solution by next Monday, we will have no choice but to voluntarily resign from Tuesday."

Bang pointed out that all parties involved, including the government, the Korean Medical Association, medical students, and residents, are in a strong confrontation, and there is no way to solve the crisis,

“It's not the doctors, medical residents, or medical students who are getting hurt," Bang said. It’s the patients who are suffering the most from the medical school enrollment expansion debate.”

He pointed out that a discussion between the government and the medical community is difficult due to the strong confrontation between the two sides and called for public participation at the negotiation table. Therefore, he called for forming a council that includes the government, the medical association, lawmakers from both parties, medical residents, and the public.

He also asked the government not to push ahead with the 2,000 more physicians but to discuss it by forming a dialogue council, urging the medical association to participate in the council with the possibility of expanding medical school admissions in mind rather than demanding to go to square one.

In particular, he suggested that all medical students and residents return to schools and hospitals if the government and the medical association agree to form a council.

"Medical residents will be resigned after next Monday, and medical students will be flunked after March 26. If medical residents and students do not return to hospitals and schools, Korea will be in chaos," he warned.

He also proposed that the government place a research order on reputable overseas organizations, including the OECD, to conduct a study on Korea’s medical workforce data to create a basis for discussion based on objective data.

Bang recalled that Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Park Min-soo, when he was a director of the ministry in 2012, commissioned the OECD to analyze the Korean healthcare data at 160 million won ($122,140).

"The OECD's healthcare quality assessment is very detailed regarding the number of doctors. Korea’s medical workforce has rapidly grown to catch up with the OECD’s average level,” Bang said. “When it comes to increasing the number of physicians, doctors don't trust the government, while the government doesn't trust doctors. So, let's ask a reputable overseas organization to do it."

He said if the government and the Korean Medical Association (KMA) are willing to evaluate it properly for a year or so and say Korea needs to increase the number of physicians by, say, 1,000, they should follow it without saying anything else.

"Unless medical residents and students return to normalcy by the end of March, we will have a medical strike in Korea," he said. "It's the current and future patients who will suffer the most. I never believe that a year from now, there will be new interns and residents."