Government-doctor conflict leads to sharp decline in liver transplants

“The reduction and delay of living-donor liver transplantation surgeries due to the government-doctor conflict will inevitably lead to decreased survival and increased mortality of liver transplant patients in Korea. The Korean Liver Transplantation Society believes that the increase in medical school students needs to be re-discussed from the ground up.”

Dr. Kim Seok-hwan, head of the society’s Information Committee and professor of surgery at Chungnam National University Hospital, said so at a press conference on Thursday to commemorate the society’s autumn academic conference, LT Updates 2024.

Kim emphasized that the number of living-donor liver transplant surgeries has recently plummeted due to conflicts between the government and the medical community, leading to a seriously long waiting list for patients.

“The government-doctor conflict that began in February has severely affected the entire Korean medical system, especially the field of living-donor liver transplantation, which deals with the lives of patients with severe liver disease,” Kim said. “A comparison of the number of living-donor liver transplants shows that they decreased sharply in 2024 from last year.”

For example, from March to June 2023, the total number of living-donor liver transplants at Seoul National University Hospital stood at 34, but in the same period in 2024, the number fell to less than half, at 16. At Chonnam National University Hospital, the number of surgeries increased from one to four from March to June 2023. Still, it came to a standstill to zero in 2024.

The society also surveyed its members about the impact of the ongoing medical turmoil on liver transplant patients and found that when surgeries are delayed or canceled due to medical conflicts, patients' severity rises sharply, resulting in lower survival rates.

In addition, medical professionals felt that patients and their caregivers were becoming increasingly anxious due to long wait times for surgery and that the lives of an increasing number of patients were threatened.

In addition, fatigue and workforce shortages have reached worrisome levels.

“According to the survey, in many hospitals, professors in charge of living-donor liver transplantation have resigned or are considering leaving due to overwhelming workloads and burnout,” Kim said. ”The shortage of anesthesiologists has led to a decrease in the number of surgeries available, which, in turn, has led to an increase in the number of waiting lists.”

“The government's active policy support is essential to address these issues,” Kim added, pointing to ethical and accessibility issues that could jeopardize the timely treatment of critically ill patients

He cited an increase in the number of specialists and nurse practitioners in each department, active policy, financial support, and legal protection, and revisiting the issue of medical school student increase as solutions.

“The decline in the number of living-donor liver transplant surgeries due to medical conflicts is not just a matter of numbers but a serious problem that threatens the lives of real patients,” Kim said. “Finding a solution to this problem is of utmost importance.”