S. Korean Hospitals Turn Away Patients as Doctors Protest
2024-02-22
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1South Korea's biggest hospitals canceled medical procedures and turned away patients seeking emergency care on Wednesday.
2The moves came after thousands of trainee doctors walked off the job to protest a government plan to increase the number of people admitted to medical school.
3One hospital, the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, had a sign saying its emergency division was only taking heart attack cases.
4The emergency departments at four other major hospitals were also on "red alert."
5That means they did not have room for more patients.
6"It is so frustrating that the resident doctors' strike is happening now," the brother of a cancer patient told the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo.
7He added that he and his brother had spent 10 hours looking for a hospital bed.
8The health ministry says 7,813 doctors have walked out of their jobs since protests began this week.
9The doctors object to a plan by the government to increase the number of medical students.
10The plan aims to bring more health workers to rural areas and meet the demands of one of the world's most quickly aging societies.
11The government wants to increase the number of medical students from 3,000 to 5,000 by the 2025 school year.
12It aims to add up to 10,000 more by 2035.
13The protesters, however, say South Korea has enough doctors.
14They say the government needs to improve the pay and working conditions of doctors before increasing the number of medical students.
15South Korea's population of 52 million had 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people in 2022.
16Those numbers are far below the average of 3.7 doctors per 1,000 people for developed countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
17Public opinion studies in South Korea show many Koreans support the government plan.
18Last week, a Gallup Korea study said about 76 percent of South Koreans back the government's plan to increase the number of medical students.
19One group taking part in the protest called the plan a political measure ahead of a general election in April.
20"We couldn't just sit back and watch medical policies built only for the sake of winning the general election," the Korea Interns and Residents Association said in a statement.
21Local media said between one-third and half of scheduled surgeries at five major hospitals have been canceled due to the walkout.
22The protests have continued despite a government order for the doctors to return to work.
23Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters,
24"The basic calling of medical professionals is to protect the health and lives of the people, and any group action that threatens that cannot be justified."
25Safety Minister Lee Sang-min later threatened the protest leaders with possible arrest.
26"The police and the prosecutors' office will consult and take measures against any group or individuals who are leading collective action, including arrest and investigation," he said.
27I'm Ashley Thompson.
1South Korea's biggest hospitals canceled medical procedures and turned away patients seeking emergency care on Wednesday. The moves came after thousands of trainee doctors walked off the job to protest a government plan to increase the number of people admitted to medical school. 2One hospital, the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, had a sign saying its emergency division was only taking heart attack cases. The emergency departments at four other major hospitals were also on "red alert." That means they did not have room for more patients. 3"It is so frustrating that the resident doctors' strike is happening now," the brother of a cancer patient told the newspaper JoongAng Ilbo. He added that he and his brother had spent 10 hours looking for a hospital bed. 4The health ministry says 7,813 doctors have walked out of their jobs since protests began this week. The doctors object to a plan by the government to increase the number of medical students. The plan aims to bring more health workers to rural areas and meet the demands of one of the world's most quickly aging societies. 5The government wants to increase the number of medical students from 3,000 to 5,000 by the 2025 school year. It aims to add up to 10,000 more by 2035. 6The protesters, however, say South Korea has enough doctors. They say the government needs to improve the pay and working conditions of doctors before increasing the number of medical students. 7South Korea's population of 52 million had 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people in 2022. Those numbers are far below the average of 3.7 doctors per 1,000 people for developed countries in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. 8Public opinion studies in South Korea show many Koreans support the government plan. Last week, a Gallup Korea study said about 76 percent of South Koreans back the government's plan to increase the number of medical students. 9One group taking part in the protest called the plan a political measure ahead of a general election in April. 10"We couldn't just sit back and watch medical policies built only for the sake of winning the general election," the Korea Interns and Residents Association said in a statement. 11Local media said between one-third and half of scheduled surgeries at five major hospitals have been canceled due to the walkout. 12The protests have continued despite a government order for the doctors to return to work. 13Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters, "The basic calling of medical professionals is to protect the health and lives of the people, and any group action that threatens that cannot be justified." 14Safety Minister Lee Sang-min later threatened the protest leaders with possible arrest. 15"The police and the prosecutors' office will consult and take measures against any group or individuals who are leading collective action, including arrest and investigation," he said. 16I'm Ashley Thompson. 17Hai Do adapted this story for Learning English based on Reuters news reports. 18______________________________________________ 19Words in This Story 20frustrating - adj. causing feeling of anger and annoyance 21resident - n. a doctor in training 22society - n. people in a particular country 23for the sake of - phrase, out of consideration or regard 24prosecutor - n. a lawyer who represents the government or the side accusing someone of a crime 25consult - v. look for information