Amid opposition from trainee doctors to the expansion of medical school quotas and their resulting protest, major hospitals are adjusting surgery and admission schedules, contributing to heightened patient anxiety. While no resignations have been confirmed, reports indicate that as of Feb. 16, 715 trainee doctors from 23 hospitals have submitted resignation letters. These trainee doctors represent 30-40% of the medical workforce in tertiary referral hospitals, where they assist professors in surgeries and treatments. If they proceed with collective action, patients may suffer significant harm due to disruptions in medical procedures and care.
The shortage of doctors in South Korea is a well-established fact, supported by various statistics and patients’ experiences. In 2021, the country had only 2.6 clinical doctors per 1,000 people, including doctors of Korean Medicine, ranking it second lowest among OECD nations after Mexico (2.5). The OECD average is 3.7 doctors per 1,000 people. Despite this, medical school enrollment quotas have remained frozen at around 3,058 since 2006. Government attempts to expand medical school admissions, as seen in 2020, have consistently faced collective resistance from doctors.
South Korea is reportedly the only country where doctors engage in collective action to block the expansion of medical personnel. Globally, there is a trend toward increasing the number of doctors in anticipation of aging populations. Germany, with public medical school enrollment exceeding 9,000, has decided to increase it to around 15,000, and the UK, currently admitting 8,639 students, plans to raise this number to 15,000 by 2031. Japan, which has experienced aging ahead of South Korea, has seen an increase of around 43,000 doctors over the past decade. However, South Korea stands alone in doctors striking in opposition to the expansion of medical school quotas. While there are cases in foreign countries where doctors strike for wage increases and other demands, it is rare to find similar instances of collective action against increasing doctor numbers through medical school expansion.
The reality of doctor shortages is something that doctors on the frontline understand better than anyone else. Essential medical services in various regions are in crisis, and it’s common to see trainee doctors working over 80 hours a week and clinics open even on Saturdays. Despite this, there seems to be no explanation other than the idea of wanting to earn more money, assuming that doctor shortages will lead to patient harm, for doctors opposing the increase in medical school admissions.
