07:17 (IST), June 19
South Korea doctors who joined protracted strike over medical school plan to return to work
South Korean officials on Tuesday ordered back to work doctors who participated in a one-day walkout as part of a protracted strike against the government’s plan to sharply increase medical school enrollment.
Since February, more than 12,000 trainee doctors have gone on strike amid a deepening standoff with government officials who want to increase the number of doctors in the country to 10,000 by 2035. Many are dismissive of the plan to begin next year, saying the schools have won. It cannot cope with the increased flow and the quality of the country’s medical services will suffer.
About 4% of the country’s 36,000 private medical facilities, categorized as clinics, told authorities they would take part in a one-day strike on Tuesday, according to South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare.
It comes after hundreds of medical school professors went on an indefinite walkout at four major hospitals affiliated with Seoul National University, sparking concerns about disruptions to medical services.
There is also the possibility of extending the strike.
