The resignation rate among resident physicians in South Korea has surged to 73% in just over a month. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Aug. 30 (Korea Bizwire) – The resignation rate among resident physicians in South Korea has surged to 73% in just over a month, according to recent data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
This dramatic increase highlights the escalating tension in the country’s healthcare sector, with certain specialties experiencing even higher rates of attrition.
Representative Kim Yoon of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, revealed that 7,627 out of 10,463 eligible resident physicians had resigned as of August 26, resulting in a 72.9% resignation rate. This marks a significant jump from the 44.9% rate reported on July 18.
The crisis is particularly acute in obstetrics and gynecology, where 82.3% of eligible residents have resigned. Other specialties facing high resignation rates include rehabilitation medicine (80.7%), radiation oncology (78.3%), radiology (78.5%), and anesthesiology (77.5%).
Even critical specialties such as cardiothoracic surgery (75.7%), neurosurgery (75.1%), emergency medicine (74.3%), and pediatrics (73.7%) are experiencing substantial losses.
This mass exodus of resident physicians began in February when many submitted resignations in protest of the government’s plan to increase medical school admissions. Most have not returned to their positions since then.
The impact on hospitals is severe. As of August 27, only 8.8% of the total 13,531 trainee doctors across 211 teaching hospitals nationwide were reporting for work. The situation is equally dire in Seoul’s top five major hospitals, where the attendance rate stands at just 8.4%.
The crisis has affected both levels of medical training. Among interns, only 113 out of 3,068 (3.7%) are currently working, while for residents, the number is 1,081 out of 10,463 (10.3%).
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
