South Korea turning to overseas doctors as strike continues
The government is locked in a protracted stando with the junior doctors, who have refused to return to their hospitals, despite the health ministry o ering last month to scale back proposed medical training reforms for 2025
South Korea will allow foreign doctors to work in its hospitals after a rigorous vetting process, the prime minister said yesterday, as a months-long strike by junior medics shows no sign of resolution.
Thousands stopped working on February 20 to protest government plans to train more doctors, causing chaos in hospitals.
The government, which has already offered some concessions in a bid to end the standoff, said this week that doctors with foreign medical licenses would be allowed to practice in the country, in a bid to ease service disruptions.
After the move was announced, the head of the Korean Medical Association (KMA), Lim Hyuntaek, shared a screenshot of a news report on newly graduated Somali doctors with the comment: "Coming Soon."
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said yesterday the government will make sure to "have a thorough safety system to prevent unqualified doctors (with foreign licences) from treating our people".
The government is locked in a protracted standoff with the junior doctors, who have refused to return to their hospitals, despite the health ministry offering last month to scale back proposed medical training reforms for 2025.
The striking doctors have re
jected the offer, demanding instead that the plan to create more doctors -- which the government says is essential to combat shortages and care for a rapidly ageing population -- be scrapped entirely.
The fight over the government's medical plan is currently before the Seoul High Court, with doctors and medical students seeking to prove it is unnecessary, and the health ministry seeking to uphold the government plan.
An administrative court has already ruled in the government's favour, and the Seoul High Court is expected to deliver its decision next week, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency.