SEOUL, The Seoul city government said Monday it will extend the operating hours of city-run hospitals and community healthcare centers and take other emergency measures if a looming doctors’ walkout materializes.

The city government has been operating a situation room to cope with any contingencies arising from potential collective action by doctors protesting the government’s decision to significantly increase medical school seats.

The city government has been on an emergency footing since the health ministry raised the country’s medical crisis level to the second highest “warning” earlier this month as doctors showed signs of taking collective action.

The crisis level is expected to be raised to the highest “severe” level if doctors walk off their jobs. Hundreds of resident doctors have been turning in resignations en masse and plan to walk out of their jobs starting Tuesday morning.

In that case, the city government plans to extend the operating hours of internal medicine and other key departments at
eight city-run hospitals to 8 p.m. on weekdays while having four of the hospitals open their emergency rooms around the clock.

The four hospitals are Seoul Medical Center, Boramae Medical Center, Dongbu Hospital and Seonam Hospital.

Community healthcare centers will also be open until 8 p.m., officials said.

The city government also plans to provide information on available hospitals and clinics at its emergency medical portal site at www.e-gen.or.kr.

Source: Yonhap News Agency