Appalled by President Yoon's speech, trainee doctors harden resolve to resign

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’ determination to quit.

Most interns and residents who have tendered their resignations said they had “expected” the president’s stance but felt regretful. Some were dissatisfied with the government’s failure to understand the medical system’s problems, although the medical community had pointed out them for years.

In a nationally televised speech, President Yoon reaffirmed his plan to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000. However, the medical community expressed disappointment, saying it was "just a repeat of the previous position." The Korean Medical Association's emergency committee even said that it had "no comment" at its regular briefing.

Trainee doctors were little different. "It's no different than before," they said, pointing out that the government is worsening the situation.

"It was the worst," said a trainee doctor who practiced at a hospital in Gyeonggi Province in a phone conversation with Korea Biomedical Review on Tuesday. “I can't believe that the president used words like cartel and monopoly. Even those doctors willing to return now say they won't return. The reaction of trainee doctors is very bad."

Another trainee doctor, who interned at a hospital in Jeolla Province, also said, "I don't know what the government wants. It is questionable why the president made such remarks in a public statement.”

Others noted that the medical community had pointed out the government's healthcare policy flaws but regretted the president’s statement completely failed to reflect such points.

"There were so many untruths and incorrect statistical quotes that it was hard to believe that the president spoke them," said a trainee doctor who worked at a hospital in the greater Seoul area. "When the president said, 'If you left because you thought your incomes would decrease, come back because it's not true,' I felt that he did not understand the current situation and did not grasp the argument at all."

The medical resident said physicians have maintained that an increase in medical school students and essential care packages could not be the solution and would only worsen healthcare in Korea. However, the government has been deaf to them and misrepresented the truth, as if doctors are resigning because they are worried about their incomes.

Another trainee doctor who practiced at a Seoul hospital said, "I expected a lot from the president’s statement, but he just repeated the same arguments without any logical explanation."

She added that it's a pity that many people, including trainee doctors, have pointed out the true nature of medical problems over the past month, but the government, which should have the deepest understanding, still doesn't.

All these trainee doctors said that although the chief executive came forward, he fell far short of changing the minds of the resigned trainee doctors.

Toward the end of his speech, President Yoon said, "If you want to take collective action, do it when I don't fulfill my promise, not while opposing the enrollment expansion. I hope you will stop the collective action and come back."

However, a trainee doctor who worked at a training hospital in the Gyeongsang area said, "This statement will not bring back doctors. Unless it's a dialogue offered from the ground up, I don't think doctors will listen to the government's announcement. We'll have to wait and see what happens after the parliamentary election, but I don't have much expectation."

Some junior doctors called for the government to withdraw its hardline stance.

A medical school graduate who quit working as an intern said, "The government continues to take a hardline stance and maintain its confrontation with the medical community. I wonder when this will be resolved. I've been taking a break since graduation. However, this is not a rest. I hope there will be a change."