The medical crisis triggered by a strike by junior doctors in February, which protested the government’s plan to increase medical student admissions, remains unresolved with no clear end in sight. Emergency rooms are facing severe challenges due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, a slow return of junior doctors, and the approaching winter. With large hospitals heavily dependent on these junior doctors, their absence is placing a considerable strain on both healthcare professionals and patients in emergency rooms.
Emergency rooms are crucial for critically ill patients and those needing urgent care. Recently, many emergency rooms nationwide have been struggling with a severe shortage of doctors and staff. For example, Chungnam National University Sejong Hospital, located south of Seoul, had to close its nighttime operations on Aug. 22 and Aug. 29 due to the resignation of three specialist doctors. Similar issues are affecting other facilities, including Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital in Cheonan and Dankook U
niversity Hospital. Of the 408 hospitals with emergency rooms, approximately 1.2 percent are under pressure to limit their hours. Many other hospitals are reducing the number of emergency room beds, raising significant concerns about the impact on patient care.
The current crisis is largely due to a shortage of medical professionals. Out of the approximately 12,000 trainee doctors who left their positions in February, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s estimate as of July 15 revealed that only 1,155 – about 8 percent – had returned to their hospitals.
In the recent special recruitment drive for the second half of the year, only 125 applications were received for approximately 7,645 available trainee doctor positions. This alarmingly low number of returning trainees is concerning. Many are opting for part-time work instead, believing that returning for the second half of the training, after missing the first half, would be ineffective.
The government and the medical community, especially medical school pr
ofessors, need to come together to address the medical reform process, which poses a potential threat to public health if left unaddressed. The surge in COVID-19 infections and unprecedented cases of heat-related illnesses are further straining emergency rooms. Government statistics revealed that 13,494 people visited emergency rooms in July due to COVID-19, a figure six times higher than in June. In the first 11 days of August alone, emergency room visits surged to 18,702. Additionally, the number of COVID-19 patients admitted to 220 hospitals nationwide rose to over 1,350 in the second week of August,
On Wednesday, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency stated that the recent rise in COVID-19 cases does not constitute a crisis, but that “it should be viewed as a process in which COVID-19 becomes an endemic.”
That may well be technically true. The current dominant strain, KP.3, is less severe and has a lower fatality rate. However, it is known for its high transmissibility, leading to a greater nu
mber of infections. Although COVID-19 is now classified as endemic in the country, the ongoing medical crisis raises serious concerns about whether our usually high-quality healthcare system and government can effectively handle the rising number of patients.
The government has been slow to address this urgent issue, and the medical community remains firmly opposed to the proposed increase of 2,000 enrollment slots. In response, the government suggested various measures, such as raising doctors’ treatment fees. However, these abrupt proposals have angered the medical community, particularly because the government also announced it was mulling granting hospital permits to those who have not only passed the national medical exam but also completed hospital training.
Although it may seem overdue, the government must now engage in serious discussions and take gradual, well-considered steps with the medical community before moving forward with the promised medical reform. Both parties need to approach the situat
ion with a spirit of compromise to find a balanced solution.
Source: Yonhap News Agency
