South Korea assigns military doctors to counteract shortage of medical staff
On Monday, the South Korean government will send military doctors to assist hospital emergency rooms grappling with a shortage of medical personnel due to a strike by young doctors that has put pressure on the healthcare system. Authorities have acknowledged the difficulties but refute assertions that the system is nearing collapse and are taking steps to stabilize operations.
TroibNews 
The South Korean government announced on Monday that it is deploying military doctors to assist hospital emergency rooms facing staffing shortages, while denying assertions from some medical professionals that the healthcare system is on the verge of collapse.
A strike by young doctors, including interns and residents, has placed considerable stress on the country's medical system. Despite this situation, Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo highlighted that while some hospitals have scaled back their emergency room hours and are operating with fewer medical personnel, claims regarding major hospitals shutting down their ER operations are incorrect.
"There are some challenges in the emergency medical system, but it is not at risk of collapse, as some have suggested," Park stated during a briefing.
To help alleviate the pressure, the government plans to deploy 15 military doctors to the most affected emergency rooms initially and will rotate 235 military and community doctors through troubled hospitals starting September 9, according to Park.
Earlier on Monday, the national association of medical school professors warned in a statement that many emergency rooms were not providing regular services and that the collapse of the healthcare system had already commenced.
The crisis originated in February when thousands of trainee doctors went on strike to oppose a government proposal to increase medical student admissions by 2,000 annually, aimed at addressing a projected shortage of doctors. Hospitals that rely heavily on these trainee doctors have since been compelled to turn away patients due to staff shortages, resulting in increased workloads for the remaining medical personnel.
Concerns are also rising regarding the potential impact of a three-day autumn holiday set to begin on September 16, which could exacerbate the strain on ER services. In response to this, the government has announced plans to keep 4,000 local clinics and smaller hospitals operational on a rotating basis during the holiday to manage patient care.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
A strike by young doctors, including interns and residents, has placed considerable stress on the country's medical system. Despite this situation, Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo highlighted that while some hospitals have scaled back their emergency room hours and are operating with fewer medical personnel, claims regarding major hospitals shutting down their ER operations are incorrect.
"There are some challenges in the emergency medical system, but it is not at risk of collapse, as some have suggested," Park stated during a briefing.
To help alleviate the pressure, the government plans to deploy 15 military doctors to the most affected emergency rooms initially and will rotate 235 military and community doctors through troubled hospitals starting September 9, according to Park.
Earlier on Monday, the national association of medical school professors warned in a statement that many emergency rooms were not providing regular services and that the collapse of the healthcare system had already commenced.
The crisis originated in February when thousands of trainee doctors went on strike to oppose a government proposal to increase medical student admissions by 2,000 annually, aimed at addressing a projected shortage of doctors. Hospitals that rely heavily on these trainee doctors have since been compelled to turn away patients due to staff shortages, resulting in increased workloads for the remaining medical personnel.
Concerns are also rising regarding the potential impact of a three-day autumn holiday set to begin on September 16, which could exacerbate the strain on ER services. In response to this, the government has announced plans to keep 4,000 local clinics and smaller hospitals operational on a rotating basis during the holiday to manage patient care.
Mathilde Moreau contributed to this report for TROIB News
