SEOUL, July 8 (AJU PRESS) – The government will take new measures for trainee doctors who continue their strike against the government’s radical health reform plans, the Health and Welfare Ministry said on Monday.
Health Minister Cho Kyu-hong is expected to announce the government’s final decision regarding the junior doctors and their resignations.
To end the ongoing strike, the ministry last month lifted all administrative restrictions on junior doctors and hospitals, hoping to encourage them to return to work and fill the gap in the medical care system.
Despite these efforts, as of last week, only a small portion, eight percent, of the 13,756 residents had either remained in their jobs or returned to work.
Since last year, the government has been pushing for an increase in admission quotas at medical schools in order to improve supply and prepare for increasing demand due to the ageing population.
Resident doctors at university hospitals began their strike in February with mass resignations. They claimed that this step would worsen the quality of medical training and would not solve the staff shortage.
