The so-called "Big Five" hospitals are on track for an indefinite closure.

Following Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH), which has decided to take an indefinite leave of absence next Monday, Asan Medical Center (AMC) will also discuss whether to enter into an indefinite closure.

Korea's five largest hospitals, all located in the Seoul metropolitan area, are scrambling to decide whether to join the leave of absence with a week remaining before the general strike and national rally called by the Korean Medical Association (KMA). As consensus is building to thwart the government's policy to increase the medical school enrollment quota, most opinions support joining the strike.

The Big Five include SNUH, Severance Hospital, Samsung Medical Center (SMC), Asan Medical Center (AMC), and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

If the five hospitals decide to join the strike next Tuesday, outpatient treatments and surgeries will be completely suspended on that day. However, emergency treatment, including services in emergency rooms and for inpatients, will be maintained.

The emergency committee of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine’s Faculty Council, which has Asan Medical Center, Ulsan University Hospital, and GangNeung Asan Hospital as training hospitals, will hold a general assembly on Tuesday to discuss whether to take a collective leave of absence next Tuesday and prolong it indefinitely.

The final decision on the collective furlough will be made through a survey after gathering opinions from the general assembly.

The eight teaching hospitals under the Catholic University of Korea, College of Medicine, have tentatively decided to participate in the collective furlough and are rescheduling outpatient appointments to coincide with the furlough dates.

Each hospital will have until Tuesday to discuss whether to join the strike. A final decision will be made on Wednesday at the emergency committee of the Faculty Council based on the results of each hospital's survey and discussion.

“Based on the interim survey results, it was found that the majority of opinions were gathered in the direction of the closure,” an emergency committee official said. “Even if the hospital is closed, critical care will be maintained. Inpatient care will be handled according to each professor's different situation."

Severance Hospital is expected to close its doors next Tuesday, following the KMA decision. The emergency committee of the faculty council of Yonsei University College of Medicine is not holding a vote on a separate collective leave of absence as the KMA has resolved a general strike. There has also been no discussion of an indefinite strike.

“As a member of the KMA, I think we will act according to the results of the KMA’s vote,” an emergency committee official said. “We are not taking a separate resolution process for next Wednesday’s closure because the KMA has already resolved it. Severance Hospital and its affiliated institutions will likely follow the guidelines of the KMA on their own."

It has been confirmed that Samsung Medical Center (SMC) is also discussing whether to join the strike.

Will Big 5 hospitals lend their weight to 'indefinite strike'?

Now that Asan Medical Center has begun its discussion on indefinite strike, the possibility of solidarity from other Big Five hospitals is being raised, hospital sources said.

However, it is unclear whether the big hospitals will support an indefinite leave of absence because they cannot postpone their already fixed appointment schedules indefinitely.

“Not many hospitals are discussing whether to take an indefinite leave of absence,” said an official from a faculty council’s emergency committee. “If training hospitals affiliated with the University of Ulsan College of Medicine follow the Seoul National University Hospital’s footsteps in calling for an indefinite strike, there is a possibility of solidarity, but we must see if other hospitals will follow suit."

“A one-day closure can be handled by rescheduling outpatient and surgical appointments, but it's not easy to postpone all schedules without limitation,” the official said. “I think we'll have to revisit (the indefinite closure) while watching the situation after a one-day strike.”