Doctors should no longer hold patients hostage
Medical doctors and trainee doctors are on a head-on collision course with the government over its plan to increase the number of medical students and create a new medical school. They cannot avoid criticism for holding patients hostage in their actions to oppose the plan and protect their own interests.
Thousands of disgruntled medical professionals entered the second day of a three-day strike Thursday. Their collective action is causing disruptions to healthcare services, especially when the country is struggling to contain the resurgence of COVID-19.
Their aim is to force the Ministry of Health and Welfare to withdraw the plan which calls for a hike in the admissions quota from the present 3,058 to 3,458 starting in 2022. They should understand why the government is pushing for the plan. Its purpose is to address a shortage of doctors, particularly in provincial areas. A public medical school is also needed to better cope with public health crises as seen in the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
One may argue that the higher admissions quota will inevitably result in severe competition among doctors. But such an argument is not convincing. Under the government plan, the new quota ― if implemented as scheduled ― will only increase the number of medical students by a total of 4,000 over the 10-year period ending 2031. By any standard, the increase is moderate without having any adverse effect on doctors' income.
Of course, health ministry officials are not faultless at all. They are to blame for pushing the plan unilaterally without having close consultations with doctors. Now government and medical professions should resolve the problem through dialogue and compromise.
However, it is regrettable that the Korean Medical Association (KMA) has rejected a tentative agreement to stop the walkout in return for the ministry's promise to put the plan on hold until the pandemic is brought under control.
Against this backdrop, the health ministry has issued an administrative order to force striking doctors to return to work. It has also threatened to take stern action against any violators. In response, the KMA, an interest group of 130,000 medical professionals, has vowed to go on an indefinite strike if the government punishes any striking doctors.
If both sides fail to avert a head-on clash, patients, particularly those in a critical condition, will fall victim to the collective action. A potential disruption of the medical system will deal a serious blow to the nation's efforts to stem the rapid spread of COVID-19. New daily infections surged to 441 Thursday with the total caseload rising to 18,706, further raising fears of the situation becoming unmanageable.
We urge striking doctors to go back to work immediately to take care of patients. Now is not the time for striking. They should make a last-ditch effort to find a compromise. Otherwise, they will lose the public's trust and damage their reputation as devoted medical practitioners who defeated the first COVID-19 wave in the southeastern city of Daegu in February and March.