A survey showed that nearly 75 percent of public and private university hospitals entered an emergency management system as their financial difficulties worsened following the resignation of interns and residents.

Healthcare workers said their right to survival is being threatened by the ongoing healthcare crisis, calling for normalizing medical services this month.

The Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) released the results of its survey of 113 medical institutions on Thursday. The industry union conducted the opinion poll from April 24 to May 22 on its member unions at 113 medical institutions.

According to the survey, 52 medical institutions have declared emergency management due to trainee doctors’ resignations and professors’ leave of absence. Of the 47 national and private university hospitals that participated in the survey, 35, or 74.5 percent, have declared emergency management.

According to the KHMU, the emergency management system for hospitals is being implemented in three areas -- streamlining bed operations, more efficient workforce operations, and cost cuts.

The measures to streamline bed operations include closing or reducing general wards, reducing beds in intensive care units, closing operating rooms and recovery rooms, adjusting the number of beds, and suspending plans to expand urgent care beds.

To reduce labor costs, hospitals implemented measures to streamline their workforce operations by, for instance, freezing staffing levels. temporarily reducing the number of employees, offering special honorary retirement, restricting or suspending the hiring of full-time employees, hiring part-time employees to fill the positions of regular employees who retire, implementing unpaid leave and furloughs, suspending promotions, and expanding flexible work for a limited time.

In addition, hospitals have comprehensively reviewed their 2024 budgets to reduce costs and have stopped investing in facilities.

Besides, they have drastically reduced employee benefits, including cuts to welfare budgets, and set guidelines for limiting charges and conserving medical supplies. In some cases, hospitals have shortened the health insurance billing cycle or tried to borrow more than 20 billion won ($14.4 million) per month due to funding difficulties, and some have delayed payments for materials and drugs.

The survey also covered the "Pilot Project on the Scope of Nurse’s Work," which is being implemented as a measure to fill medical gaps.

The survey found that 49 out of 113 hospitals increased the number of physician assistants (PAs) after the pilot project was implemented, and 43 out of 47 public and private hospitals (91.5 percent) said they increased the number of PAs. Twenty-two hospitals reported that they provided no training for the increased duties under the pilot project. Of the 47 public and private university hospitals, 14 did not provide related training.

Accidents have also occurred in hospitals when PAs have taken on the duties of doctors. One hospital reported a medical accident, and eight hospitals reported secondary accidents (situations where an accident could have occurred due to worker negligence, but did not directly lead to an accident).

In response, the union pointed out that healthcare workers suffer due to the healthcare turmoil. The union said it would launch an all-out struggle if medical care is not normalized within June.

"The blood, tears, and pains of countless healthcare workers are oozing from the cracks of the medical crisis," the union said. "The prolonged refusal of doctors to treat patients threatens workers' employment and right to survival, and the emergency management system measures are causing healthcare workers to suffer wage cuts."

Physician assistants, who fill the gap in the physician workforce, are facing increased workloads, increased labor intensity, and illegal medical liability, the union said, adding that even medical accidents have occurred due to the transfer of physicians' duties to PAs without proper training and education.

"We will no longer be patient if there is no just compensation for the sacrifices and dedication of healthcare workers and immediate measures to normalize services," it said. “We will launch an all-out struggle if services are not normalized within June."