Senior doctors at major hospitals in South Korea began submitting their resignations en masse Monday in support of medical interns and residents who have been on a strike for five weeks over the government’s push to sharply increase medical school admissions.
The senior doctors’ action won’t likely cause an immediate worsening of hospital operations in South Korea because they have said they would continue to work even after submitting their resignations. But prospects for an early end to the medical impasse were also dim, as the doctors’ planned action comes after President Yoon Suk Yeol called for talks with doctors while suggesting a possible softening of punitive steps against the striking junior doctors.
About 12,000 interns and medical residents have faced impending suspensions of their licenses over their refusal to end their strikes, which have caused hundreds of cancelled surgeries and other treatments at their hospitals.
They oppose the government’s plan to increase the country’s medical school admission cap by two-thirds, saying schools can’t handle such a steep increase in students and that it would eventually hurt South Korea’s medical services. But officials say more doctors are urgently needed because South Korea has a rapidly aging population and its doctor-to-population ratio is one of the lowest in the developed world.
I disagree with you here.
In my home province of Quebec in Canada, we have a major shortage of doctors. Access to healthcare has become incredibly difficult.
The college of medical doctors actively acts as a bottleneck to allow only a certain amount of students to be admissible.
We have a single payer medical system here. The doctors in our province also happen to be amongst the best paid in Canada.
This isn’t about the equality of education. This is about a bunch of professionals who want to stay in high demand so they can have an advantage in negotiations for salary and conditions at the detriment of the population.
And this artificial shortage was in big part put in place by ill intentioned doctors in neoliberal parties
*I’m not exactly sure why I got downvoted for this. If you disagree please explain to me how the Réforme Barrette is anything but neoliberal austerity politics.
No, you’re right. But the intention still remains to keep doctors in high demand so they can negotiate for more.
We need more doctors. Why won’t medical colleges allow more students in???
But that’s exactly what I’m saying. I’m agree with your post and point out who the fuck did this to us. So again, I’m not sure why I’m being downvoted.
Lemmy gremlins probably.