As some of the resigned trainee doctors have expressed their intention to return to teaching hospitals, the government is considering a plan to recruit additional trainee physicians this month.

“We are reviewing the plan to return trainee doctors to teaching hospitals in May after receiving recommendations from the Korea Teaching Hospital Council,” said Jeong Ho-won, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, at a briefing on Friday. “We will announce the additional recruitment plan once it is finalized.”

The Korea Teaching Hospital Council, a group of 211 teaching hospitals across the nation, reportedly conducted a survey of resigned trainee doctors asking them about their intention to return to work and delivered the results to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on May 14, requesting a special procedure for additional recruitment this month.

The council also conveyed several conditions proposed by the resigned trainee doctors in the survey, including: recognizing May returnees as having completed normal training, guaranteeing the return of those currently serving in the military after discharge, and rediscussing the essential medical policy package.

In a survey conducted by the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, it was reported that more than 300 resigned trainee doctors expressed their intention to return.

The reason why the medical community is emphasizing the “May return” is because it is the deadline for third- and fourth-year trainee physicians to return and take the specialty qualification exam. In order to take the specialty certification exam in February next year, senior doctors must return to teaching hospitals this month at the latest to continue their training.

Even if they return during recruitment in the second half of September and continue their training, they will not meet the required training period of about five months until February next year, when the specialist qualification examination will be held.

On May 7, Health and Welfare Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said, “If the resigned trainee doctors who left the teaching hospital confirm their intention to return, we will actively consider a plan to allow them to return even in May.”