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.
Fucking good on ‘em.
It’s so rare to see an entire industry come together like this in support of the “lowest” (experienced vs newbies) members of its field.
I’m even more impressed it’s Korea rocking the boat.
This is a group of well earning people who try to blackmail the government into keeping the supply of doctors artificially low. What a noble bunch!
Tell me what sort of quality education you would get if your university class had increased by 2/3rd in size?
If anything the world needs to trend towards smaller sizes with a focus on quality over quantity.
Maybe if they started with a plan to increase teachers and facilities by 2/3rds I’d be a bit more willing to support the governments initiative.
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.
How do you get enough people to increase those teachers and facilities if you never increase the amount of doctors? Earlier they’ve literally shown comments about how doctors are complaining it’ll lower their pay and prestige.
Nearly the exact same one.
Med school isn’t high school or university. It’s largely large group lectures with individual rotations in health care settings.
And if there’s more students, those students can be TA’s and plan study sessions.
Don’t think med school had TAs
Oh. ):
You do realize this is about doctors, right?
In what world do you live in where fewer doctors is an improvement?
You *do *realize this is about the quality of doctors training, right?
What world do you live in where you want a McHospital to slice you open?
What’s better boss, no doctor or a good one?
this is a valid point, but it’s not a point i see junior doctors striking for. it’s not like the quality of education that a country offers after they’ve graduated would weigh so heavily on their minds.
occam’s razor applies here. they are worried that there will suddenly be an influx of new doctors that will reduce their own earning capacity.
your point on expanding facilities first won’t help end the strike since it doesn’t address the core problem. the government should simply look to sneakily boil the frog here (and this is only because being the last in a list of doctor:patient ratio is never a good thing).
These doctors are not telling the whole story. More context from the article:
Hmm who would know more about what the medical profession needs, medical professionals or the public? I’mma go with the doctors on this one. If the government wants to increase the number of doctors, they can ensure they will be properly trained.
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LOL that’s not how medical school works. You’re in lecture just like any student and then off to internships/residency/etc where you do the real learning.
You’ve got this one wrong. This one is protectionism. They want to keep the number of doctors low so that they can earn money EVEN THOUGH THAT HURTS THE PUBLIC.