PHOTOS: Gov't offers exit option for trainee doctors in protest
By Kim Dong-wooPosted : June 5, 2024, 19:23Updated : June 7, 2024, 07:54
SEOUL, June 5 (AJU PRESS) - The government announced it will allow hospitals to accept resignations from trainee doctors in protest, paving the way for them to return to work or find new jobs elsewhere. That removes legal burdens that might have prevented their return.
Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyoo-hong said Wednesday that the government will allow hospitals to accept their resignations, enabling them to pursue other career paths. He also said there will be no penalties for the striking doctors who decide to return to work and they will remain eligible to take their professional license exam.
The government's softened stance came amid a prolonged crisis at hospitals, due to their months-long protest against the government's radical medical reform plan.
But concerns linger, as some doctors who stayed on the job feel this is unfair, and it still remains to be seen if the striking doctors will return without their core demands being resolved.
Medical staff move around at a university hospital in Seoul on June 5, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
Patients look around at a university hospital in Seoul on June 5, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
Patients look around at a university hospital in Seoul on June 5, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
A university hospital in Seoul bustles with patients on June 5, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo
A doctor walks along a corridor at a university hospital in Seoul on June 5, 2024. AJU PRESS Kim Dong-woo