Eun-sung injured his right thumb when he fell in March and required surgery to repair the torn ligament. But even though she lived in South Korea, one of the most developed countries in the world, arranging an event was difficult.
“It’s so difficult to make an appointment. I was told that the earliest I can have surgery is January next year,” said Ms. Song, an office worker in the capital Seoul. The only consolation, she said, was that she didn’t need emergency surgery.
South Korea’s health care system has been in chaos for more than two months, with thousands of doctors resigning after the government proposed a dramatic increase in medical school enrollment. While the damage has not yet reached crisis proportions, thousands of surgeries and treatments have been postponed or canceled, nurses have been forced to take on more responsibilities, and military hospitals have been opened to civilians. Several major hospitals plan to suspend outpatient clinics this week.
The protracted stalemate shows no sign of resolution. But one thing has changed: Public opinion has turned against President Yoon Seok-yeol’s government.Most of the respondents were in recent opinion polls It said the government should negotiate with doctors to reach an agreement as soon as possible or withdraw the proposal.
“When the protests first started, I didn’t really feel it,” said Lee Seung-ku, a college student in Seoul. “No one around me went to the hospital regularly.” But as the strike dragged on, he said he heard said it was difficult for acquaintances to obtain care and believed the government was not moving fast enough to reach an agreement with doctors.
For weeks, neither side backed down.
The chaos is sparked by government plans to address South Korea’s chronic doctor shortage by enrolling more medical students – an increase of about 2,000 students a year, or 65%. This would be the first increase in enrollment in nearly two decades. For the authorities, the proposal meets an urgent need in the country’s rapidly aging population. But doctors argue the government continues to ignore systemic issues of pay inequality that make essential services such as urgent care less attractive career options.
Initially, most citizens supported Mr. Yoon’s hardline stance, which helped boost his approval ratings ahead of crucial parliamentary elections. Some observers believe the deadlock will end soon after the April 9 vote.But the election results put Mr. Yoon on the verge of becoming a lame duck, and his approval ratings soon fell. hit rock bottom his presidency.
About two weeks ago, the government made its first concession, saying medical schools would have some wiggle room in deciding enrollment quotas for the academic year starting in March 2025. In fact, the authorities proposed scaling back the initial increase of 2,000. The number of medical school seats in 32 medical schools has increased by 50% for the next academic year.
“They are trying to change the status quo, but it’s not good for them,” said Mr. Li, a college student. “The steps they’re taking now are the steps they should have taken from the beginning.”
The deadlock remains. More than 10,000 residents and interns, who are key to large hospital operations and among the first to strike, remain unemployed. Last week, medical school professors, often senior doctors at hospitals, joined the protests in solidarity but continued to work reduced hours.
South Korea has long prided itself on its affordable healthcare system, but many doctors say they are overwhelmed by long working hours and low wages. They add that the system rewards specialties such as dermatology that are not important to most people’s day-to-day health.
Emergency room doctors have long complained that they are overwhelmed with patients with minor injuries or illnesses, saying they drain already limited resources. This pressure appears to have intensified during the doctors’ strike. Local media first attributed at least two emergency care deaths to the strike, but the health ministry said they were not due to shortages caused by the strike.
In the meantime, some patients who may have minor issues are staying home.
“Ironically, some hospitals have seen a decrease in the number of patients,” said Seo Yeonjoo, a doctor in the emergency department at St. Vincent Hospital in suburban Seoul, referring to people seeking urgent care.
Some people with more serious illnesses also avoid going to the hospital.
Samuel Kim, who was studying at Kyungpook National University Nursing School in Daegu, had a heart arrhythmia that delayed his visit to the hospital for examination. He said he felt social pressure not to go to the hospital at a time when many hospitals were struggling due to a doctors’ strike.
Mr King acknowledged the tough hours some doctors worked, saying he had witnessed it first-hand as a nursing student. Nonetheless, he believes doctors should come to an agreement with the government and return to work.
“There are strikes in other industries, like bus drivers,” Mr. King said, “but for doctors, people’s lives are at risk.”
