Trainee doctors holding signs denouncing the government medical reform plan take part in a strike at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, south of Seoul, on Aug. 21, 2020. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Korea Bizwire) — Close to 25 percent of interns and residents who begin thoracic surgery residency programs fail to complete them, indicating a severe shortage of qualified professionals in essential medical departments, data showed Sunday.
The proportion of thoracic surgery residents who leave residencies stood at 24.1 percent as of July, and the rate surged to 23.1 percent in 2021 after hovering at 6.3 to 8.3 percent from 2018 to 2020, said Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party, citing data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The dropout rate of obstetrics and gynecology residents also rose from 6.7 percent in 2020 to 18.5 percent in 2021 and this year.
When it comes to the urology department, the resident dropout rate jumped to 15.3 percent in 2021 from 3 percent in 2019 but slid back to 9.7 percent this year.
The average statistics of the past five years showed that the interim dropout rate for essential medical subjects such as thoracic surgery and obstetrics stood at 10.5 percent.
“The government should strengthen support and provide sufficient rewards to the medical residents who select essential medical subjects with a strong sense of duty, while taking the responsibility of improving the training environment,” Rep. Shin said.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
