Seoul to fire trainee doctors unwilling to return to work by end of June

The government has expressed its position to dismiss interns and residents defying the government's return-to-work order by the end of this month.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyoo-hong said so in a speech Tuesday at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters to deal with doctors’ collective action.

"The government wishes hospitals to stabilize healthcare services by quickly dismissing trainee doctors who are not returning to work by the end of June," Cho said. “We will also thoroughly inspect and ensure that the emergency medical system runs smoothly to minimize the inconvenience to patients and the public."

For returning trainee doctors, Cho vowed to improve poor working conditions and relatively low compensation to create an environment for proper training.

"It is frustrating that despite the government's decision to rescind various executive orders, most trainee doctors remain away from the medical field and are unwilling to engage in dialogues," Cho said. "It is a personal misfortune and a great loss for the country that medical residents stop their training in this manner."

"The government feels heavy responsibility for failing to create the conditions for proper training, including poor working conditions and relatively low compensation," he said. "We will improve the training environment so that trainee doctors can receive high-quality training under different conditions from before."

Noting that the ministry is already pushing a pilot project to shorten continuous working hours, Cho said it would speed up shortening working hours to reduce excessive working hours based on the experience of the pilot project.

He also promised to systematize the training of interns and residents and strengthen financial support for public health and medicine now that the government has decided to invest in healthcare at the same level as national and social security issues.

Cho added that the ministry also speedily reviews the recommendations put forward by the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), including legal measures against medical accidents, plans to expand the number of specialists, and establishing a mechanism to estimate the supply and demand of doctors.

"We ask you, trainee doctors, to return to the medical field as soon as possible and voice your opinions on what you think the future of Korean healthcare should look like," Cho said. “The government will listen to your opinions and faithfully reflect them."