South Korean authorities have issued notices temporarily suspending the licences of two doctors, the first punishment since trainee doctors quit their jobs about a month ago to protest a government plan to boost medical school enrolment, Bloomberg reports.
Two senior members of the Korean Medical Association received three-month licence suspension notices effective from April 15, the group said on Tuesday, adding that the doctors were accused of inciting collective action despite government orders not to do so.
KMA represents about 15,000 doctors, including trainees. Joo Sooho, a KMA spokesperson said in a telephone interview:
“We will immediately file a lawsuit because we cannot accept this matter.”
The latest punishment came at a time when the prolonged strike has put an inordinate strain on the medical system. Medical school teachers, who also provide medical care, have said they will also resign if the government does not take steps to resolve the standoff.
Thousands of trainee doctors, who play a key role in emergency care and surgery, did not go to work in late February to protest the government’s plan to increase medical school enrolment by 2,000 places a year from the current 3,058. President Yoon Suk Yeol has no intention of backing down from that plan. He believes it will solve the doctor shortage, which is one of the most acute in the developed world.
The South Korean government argues that the recruitment plan is necessary to provide medical care in the rapidly aging country, and that the number of medical seats has not been increased in nearly three decades. However, doctors leading the protest say the plan will not solve fundamental problems such as a shortage of doctors in vital areas, a concentration of doctors in urban areas and a host of legal risks.
South Korean doctors are among the highest paid among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries compared to the average wage, which has led to criticism that the labour action may be aimed at protecting doctors’ income rather than improving the healthcare system.
