Ambulance at a hospital in Seoul
Yonhap news agency reported that medical professors at major hospitals in South Korea planned to strike today, May 10, the third strike in two weeks because they were tired of doing the work of interns who were on strike to protest the government 's medical reform plan.
Hospitals said that treatment of critically ill patients and inpatient services will still be provided during the professors' voluntary leave.
Previously, medical professors went on strike on April 30 and May 3, but no major disruptions were recorded in the public health service sector.
On May 10, several medical professors at four major hospitals in Seoul will voluntarily resign, including Seoul National University Hospital, Asan Medical Center, Severance Hospital, and St. Mary's Hospital Seoul.
It is not clear how many professors will quit on this day, but their actions are expected to affect about 50 hospitals across the country.
The professors, all senior doctors at general hospitals, started taking a day off every week in solidarity with about 12,000 trainee doctors who have walked out of their workplaces since February 20 to protest against plans to increase the annual intake of medical students by 2,000.
The weekly day of voluntary absence comes amid a prolonged stalemate between the government and the medical community over healthcare reform. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said on April 9 that the reform plan “is a task that can no longer be postponed,” signaling that the government will press ahead despite opposition.
Later that day, the government plans to hold a second round of meetings of the presidential commission on health care reform set up last month to address the issue, despite doctors boycotting it and calling for the plan to be abandoned altogether.
Meanwhile, the South Korean government also plans to submit a memorandum and other documents to the Supreme Court on May 10 to prove that its decision to increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 was based on scientific grounds.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/giao-su-y-khoa-dinh-cong-vi-met-moi-50-benh-vien-han-quoc-bi-anh-huong-185240510081434311.htm
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