Bill proposed to ensure the continuity of training for junior doctors

A bill has been proposed to establish the appropriate number of patients per trainee doctor and ensure that residents who left their training sites due to childbirth, childcare, or military service can return and continue their training. The bill also includes provisions to reduce the weekly training hours from 80 to 60.

Rep. Lee Soo-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) recently introduced the “Amendment to the Law on Improving the Training Environment and Enhancing the Status of Trainee Doctors (Trainee Doctor Act)” containing these provisions.

The amendment aims to improve the training environment for junior doctors and enhance the quality of medical services by reasonably reducing the maximum training hours, ensuring the continuity of training for those returning after leave or sabbatical for reasons such as maternity rights and health rights, and guaranteeing the right to return to work after such leave.

Under the amendment, the maximum weekly working hours for trainee doctors are reduced from 80 hours to 60 hours, and the maximum consecutive working hours are shortened from 36 hours to 16 hours. In emergency situations, the maximum consecutive working hours are reduced from 40 hours to 24 hours. On the other hand, the rest period after consecutive training is extended from 10 hours to 11 hours.

To eliminate the practice of making up training hours exempted during leave or sabbatical periods on other days, the amendment excludes leave and sabbatical periods from the calculation of the four-week training period.

The amendment also includes provisions to ensure the continuity of training for residents. Residents are guaranteed the right to return to their original specialty after taking leave or sabbatical for reasons related to basic rights, such as childbirth, childcare, illness, injury, or military service. Additionally, it is explicitly stated that residents who request measures to ensure the continuity of training shall not be subject to any disadvantage.

Accordingly, the head of the training hospital has added a clause to the training rules to include measures ensuring the continuity of training and preventing disadvantage for the protection of the residents' training environment. The training rules also specify the appropriate number of patients assigned to each resident.

Furthermore, the majority of members of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Training Environment Evaluation Committee must be individuals recommended by trainee doctors’ organizations affiliated with medical associations in accordance with the Medical Service Act. Penalty provisions have also been strengthened, with training hospital directors who violate regulations related to resident training hours subject to fines of up to 10 million won ($7,210).

“Trainee doctors are medical trainees on their way to becoming specialists and are also medical workers responsible for patient care in clinical settings,” Rep Lee said. “Excessive reliance on junior doctors and the imposition of excessive workloads in clinical settings not only endanger trainee doctors but also threaten patient safety, and therefore, improvements must be made.”

Lee continued, “I hope that this amendment will be thoroughly discussed and passed so that the training environment for trainee doctors can be substantially improved and, in turn, the quality of medical services for the public can be enhanced.”

Meanwhile, four bills containing measures to improve the training environment, including reducing the working hours of resident physicians, have been proposed in the 22nd National Assembly, including the amendment to the Trainee Doctor Act proposed by Rep. Lee. Reps. Kim Yoon and Park Ju-min of DPK, and Rep. Suh Myung-ok of the People Power Party (PPP) also introduced bills to revise the Trainee Doctor Act.