Under South Korean law, doctors are restricted from striking, and the government has requested police investigate people connected to the stoppage, including officials at the KMA.
“The government deeply regrets the current situation where even professors are considering resigning following the footsteps of trainees,” second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters told reporters on Tuesday.
“Once again, the government is willing to talk to the medical community at any time without conditions,” he said, although Seoul has emphasised that abandoning the reform plan is not an option.
Seoul is pushing to admit 2,000 more students to medical schools annually from next year to address what it says is one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios among developed nations.
Doctors say they fear the reform will erode the quality of service and medical education, but proponents of the plan accuse them of trying to safeguard their salaries and social status.
Last week, the junior doctors said they had submitted a “letter requesting emergency intervention” from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), claiming they were being “forced” by the government into unwanted labour. The government has dismissed the claim.
The reform plan enjoys broad public support, but a new poll by local media found 34 per cent of people wanted the government to negotiate to end the standoff.
Source: CNA
