Doctors go on strike in South Korea

Doctors in South Korea have launched a nationwide strike against the government’s decision to rapidly raise annual medical school admission quotas, with many trainee doctors resigning outright.

The industrial action has resulted in sizeable disruption to the country’s healthcare system – in which over 90% of hospitals are privately owned – with surgical procedures being cancelled and emergency rooms turning back patients.

The government plans to increase medical school applications

The strikes are in response to the government’s plans to increase the number of medical school admissions by 2,000 from the 2025 academic year – raising it to 5,000 entrants compared with 3,000 per year currently. The intention is to fill an expected shortfall of 15,000 doctors by 2035, due to South Korea’s ageing population.

However, members of the medical community have challenged the plans, stating that there are already a sufficient number of doctors, and that the reasoning behind the figure of 2,000 additional doctors per year had not been made clear.

According to figures from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, South Korea’s doctor-to-patient ratio is one of the lowest among developed countries, at 2.6 doctors per 1,000 people.

Additionally, medical professionals have argued that without addressing ongoing problems of pay and overwork in the healthcare sector, there is no incentive for the additional doctors to work in mainstream medicine. Trainee doctors in South Korea can work up to 20 hours a day, or 100 hours a week.

In April 2023, Lotte Insurance and Creatrip launched a new insurance plan for visitors travelling to South Korea.