South Korean doctors' strike over reforms triggers emergency

South Korean hospitals turned away some patients and delayed surgeries yesterday as hundreds of trainee doctors stopped working in a protest against medical training reforms.

Almost 6,500 doctors submitted their resignations - nearly half the junior workforce - with 1,600 walking off the job, according to health ministry figures.

But South Korea's President Yoon Suk Yeol said the government would not back down over the "necessary" reforms, which he described as an essential measure to prepare for the country's fast-aging population.

The training reforms call for a 65 percent increase in the number of students admitted to medical schools - an additional 2,000 people a year - starting from 2025.

"This increase is far short of necessary numbers to prepare the future of our nation," Yoon said, urging doctors not to "hold people's lives and health hostage."

The government has ordered the doctors back to work, and police have warned of arrests for instigators. South Korean law limits the ability of medical staff to strike.

Second Vice Health Minister Park Min Soo said the walkouts had resulted in medical service disruptions.

The government's top priority is to "maintain medical emergency services and treatment for serious cases at major hospitals," he said.

The Asan Medical Center in Seoul said that its emergency room was operating as normal but "some adjustments" were being made.

South Korea says it has one of the lowest doctor-to-population ratios among developed countries, and the government is pushing to increase the number of physicians.

While doctors claim it would hurt the quality of service, proponents of the plan say doctors are mainly concerned it could erode their salaries and social status.

However, the plan is popular with the public, with a recent Korean Gallup poll showing over 75 percent of respondents in favor.

The Korean Medical Association said the government's threats of legal action were akin to a "witch hunt" and claimed the plan would create a "Cuban-style socialist medical system."

The Korea Association of Medical Colleges has called for a lower admissions increase of 11 percent, a demand the government has rejected.

"I have submitted my resignation letter," Park Dan, head of the Korea Interns and Residents Association, wrote Monday on Facebook.

"I am now able to abandon my dream of becoming a specialist in pediatric emergency medicine without any regrets. I have no intention of going back."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE