SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) — A prolonged strike by trainee doctors is feared to lead to a shortage of doctors next year as their collective action against the government’s medical reform has dragged on for nearly three months, officials said. said, this Wednesday, officials from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
Around 12,000 trainee doctors have walked out of their jobs since February 20 in protest at the Government’s attempt to increase the number of medical students. Unless they undergo training in hospitals for more than three months, trainee doctors will not be eligible for next year’s test to become doctors.
“As the training program for trainee doctors is held once a year, it is inevitable that a chain reaction will occur once there is some delay,” said a professor of medicine at a major hospital in Seoul.
Ministry officials and representatives of the medical community have predicted that trainee doctors should return to hospitals around May 20 if they intend to take the test to become doctors.
According to the ministry, a total of 2,910 medical residents, believed to be among the striking trainee doctors, would be eligible to take the test.
Experts have warned that delays in training specialists could trigger a domino effect, also disrupting the supply of military doctors and public health doctors.
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