The South Korean government has given junior doctors a deadline of four days to end their strikes, with the potential consequences being prosecution or suspension of their medical licenses.

Approximately 9,000 medical interns and residents have been absent from their duties since the beginning of last week in opposition to a government proposal to raise medical school enrollment by approximately 65%. These protests have significantly impacted the functioning of their hospitals, resulting in numerous cancellations of surgeries and other medical procedures.

Government authorities state that increasing the number of physicians is crucial in addressing the aging population of South Korea. The current ratio of doctors to patients in the nation is one of the lowest compared to other developed countries.

The protesters claim that universities are not equipped to accommodate such a large influx of new students. They also argue that the proposed plan would not effectively address the ongoing shortage of doctors in certain critical yet underpaid fields such as pediatrics and emergency medicine.

During a televised briefing on Monday, Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo stated that the government will not pursue any disciplinary measures against striking doctors who resume work by Thursday.

Park stated that they are hoping for employees to go back to their job by the end of February, specifically on Feb. 29. If they go back to the hospitals they had previously abandoned before this date, they will not be held accountable for any harm that may have occurred due to their strike. It is not too late to act, and they are urged to return to attending to patients promptly.

He stated that individuals who fail to meet the deadline will be subject to a minimum three-month suspension of their medical licenses and may also face additional legal action, including investigations and potential criminal charges.

According to South Korea’s medical legislation, the government has the authority to mandate doctors and other medical staff to return to work in situations where there is a serious threat to public health. Failure to comply with this order can result in the suspension of their licenses and penalties of up to three years in prison or a fine of 30 million won ($22,480). Any individuals who are sentenced to prison would also have their medical licenses revoked.

According to Hyeondeok Choi, a partner at the law firm Daeryun that focuses on medical law, it is very improbable that the government will revoke the licenses of all striking doctors. This would create a significant void in the medical field. Some experts believe that the authorities will instead discipline the leaders of the strike.

In South Korea, there are approximately 13,000 medical interns and residents who are employed and undergoing training at 100 hospitals. Their duties often involve aiding experienced doctors in surgeries and caring for hospitalized patients. In certain prominent hospitals, they make up around 30% to 40% of all physicians.

The South Korean branch of the Korea Medical Association, which has a membership of approximately 140,000 doctors, has expressed its support for the striking doctors. However, it has yet to decide whether it will participate in the trainee doctors’ walkouts. In recent days, experienced doctors have organized multiple protests to voice their disagreement with the government’s proposal.

In the beginning of this month, the authorities declared that universities will accept an additional 2,000 medical students in the coming year, increasing the current number of 3,058. The government’s goal is to increase the number of doctors by up to 10,000 by the year 2035.

The doctors on strike have expressed concerns that increased competition may lead doctors to overtreat patients, resulting in a burden on public healthcare costs.

According to a recent survey, approximately 80% of South Koreans support the proposed plan. Some critics believe that doctors, who are among the highest-paid professionals in South Korea, are against the recruitment plan due to concerns about increased competition and decreased income.

According to Park, the medical services for emergency and critical patients in the country are currently steady. Public medical establishments are also operating longer hours and military hospitals are now accepting ordinary patients in their emergency rooms. However, it was reported by local media that an 80-year-old who suffered a heart attack was pronounced dead last Friday after being rejected by seven hospitals due to either a shortage of medical personnel or other reasons possibly related to the ongoing strikes.

A 55-year-old patient, Hwang Byung-tae, who is being treated for laryngeal cancer, stated that he has been consistently going to a hospital in Seoul for the past four years. However, he was unable to receive his scheduled anti-cancer injection last week due to the hospital staff’s walkouts.

Hwang alleged that both the government and doctors are using the lives of patients as bargaining chips. He expressed that it is patients like himself who ultimately bear the consequences and face death, not the government or doctors.

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According to this report, Jiwon Song, a writer for the Associated Press, contributed to the writing from Seoul, South Korea.