Medical interns, residents to go on strike again

Korea Medical Association members gather in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Aug. 14 to protest against the government's medical reform plan. / Yonhap

By Bahk Eun-ji

Interns and residents working at hospitals across the country will go on strike again on Friday ― this time for an indefinite period ― to protest against the government's medical workforce reform plan, the Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) said Monday.

The KIRA, went on a 24-hour strike on Aug. 7, and Korea Medical Association members staged a strike on Aug.14, in protest against the government's plan to expand the admission quota at medical schools and to establish a public medical school.

The third collective action is scheduled to be carried out sequentially from Friday to Sunday in accordance with the year of their graduation. Medical training in Korea takes five years, comprising of one year of internship and four years of residency.

Starting with the suspension of work by fourth-year residents on Friday, third-year students will follow on Saturday, and first- and second-year members plan to go on strike on Sunday. As a result, all interns and resident doctors will be on strike from Sunday with no time limit.

As part of their continuing education interns and resident doctors undertake various tasks including assisting in surgical procedures and administering treatment to patients. There are concerns that prolonging the strike will cause considerable disruption in hospitals.

In particular, because the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has soared, especially in metropolitan areas such as Seoul and Gyeonggi Province, there is growing concern about the situation.

Along with the strike, the KIRA stated some doctors are discussing resigning from their positions and medical students are considering a boycott of the medical license examination.

“This decision to take collective action has come because the government has been unwilling to listen to the voices of the medical community while pushing through the medical policy,” said KIRA President Park Ji-hyun.

The association is urging the government to reopen talks with the medical community about the decision to expand medical school quotas and establish public medical schools, as well as the plan to include traditional oriental herbal medicine in the public health insurance system, because the association considers this field to be less scientific.

In addition, the association also is demanding that the government listens to the opinion of those in the medical field when establishing medical policies.