DEPLOYMENT. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo speaks during a meeting at the government complex in Seoul on March 22, 2024. The official said over 400 military and public health doctors will be deployed amid mass resignation of junior doctors in protest of the government’s plan to increase the medical school quota. (Yonhap)
SEOUL – Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Friday that the government will deploy additional military surgeons and public health doctors to help cope with the prolonged walkout by junior doctors.
Over 90 percent of the country's 13,000 junior doctors have been on mass resignations for more than a month, protesting against the government's decision to increase the medical school quota, leading to the cancellation of crucial surgeries and crippling the medical system.
"(The government) will provide support by deploying 247 additional public health officials and military medical officers next Monday to address the health care gap triggered by the collective action of medical professionals," Han said during a meeting with relevant officials at the government complex in Seoul.
A total of 413 military and public health doctors will be deployed across hospitals.
Han also outlined plans for the government to establish a center at the National Medical Center in Seoul to assist clinics employing retired doctors.
Despite threats of a general strike from the largest doctors' group, the government announced on Wednesday that 82 percent of the additional 2,000 medical school seats will be allocated to 27 universities outside the broader capital region.
The remaining 18 percent will be distributed to five medical schools located in Gyeonggi Province surrounding Seoul and the western port city of Incheon, with no allocation for schools within Seoul.
"(The government) will ensure that measures are meticulously prepared to support the smooth progress of medical education without compromising its quality due to the increase in seats," Han said. (Yonhap)
