SEOUL, Aug. 20 (Korea Bizwire) – As a seven-month-long medical dispute continues to strain South Korea’s healthcare system, a sudden surge in COVID-19 cases and the looming threat of mpox (formerly known as monkeypox) have pushed hospitals to their limits. Emergency rooms, in particular, are facing near-paralysis as medical staff succumb to the virus themselves. According [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 19 (Korea Bizwire) — Only 21 trainee doctors applied for an additional round of recruitment, the health ministry said Monday, dashing the government’s hopes of normalizing the medical vacuum that has persisted since February. Hospitals closed applications for the additional recruitment last week after the medical community was lukewarm to the initial round [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 16 (Korea Bizwire) — Hospitals were set to wrap up the hiring of more junior doctors Friday, but there are expected to be few applicants as many trainee doctors have defied the government’s medical reform for nearly seven months, officials said. Hospitals issued new recruitment notices for trainee doctors last week after the [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Nine state-run medical schools have requested an increase of over 2,000 faculty members over the next six years to meet their expanded student admission quotas, far exceeding the government’s plan for an increase of 1,000, an analysis showed Wednesday. The nine medical schools said they need a combined 2,363 [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Wednesday pledged to take stern measures against attempts to obstruct junior doctors’ return to hospitals. Cho’s remarks came as lists of junior doctors who decided to return to work were circulating online, with the police conducting an investigation upon the request of the ministry. [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 7 (Korea Bizwire) — Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Wednesday the government will allow hospitals to extend the application period for trainee doctor programs this week to help them recruit more junior doctors. Han made the remark after only 104 candidates, or 1.4 percent of trainee doctor positions available at 126 hospitals, had [...]
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea’s health ministry said Thursday that it will have hospitals roll out another recruitment notice for trainee doctors this month, following a lackluster response from the medical community to the initial round that ended the previous day. The announcement came as only 104 candidates applied for trainee doctor [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong on Tuesday criticized some medical professors for threatening to boycott training programs for junior doctors, calling their move “deeply regrettable.” Cho made the remarks as some medical professors have vowed to boycott training programs for junior doctors in protest of the government’s push for accepting [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Hospitals were set to begin hiring about 7,700 trainee doctors on Monday, although medical professors have warned of boycotting their training programs in protest of the government’s push for accepting the resignations of striking trainees. Monthslong standoffs with trainee doctors over the medical school admission quota hikes have shown [...]
SEOUL, Jul. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — The government has referred 18 doctors, medical students and others to the prosecution for a probe into their alleged involvement in drawing up or releasing a list of junior doctors who returned to hospitals following their walkout, the health ministry said Thursday. Last week, a list of junior doctors [...]