South Korea doctors warn COVID surge, strike could cripple emergency rooms

23/8/2024 18:41

        South Korea's medical association warned on Friday that a spike in COVID-19 cases and an ongoing strike by trainee doctors could cripple hospital emergency rooms next month at a time when many doctors will also be off due to a public holiday.
        
        The government has, however, disputed the risk of ER closures cited by the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and said it was providing additional support where needed.
        
        Thousands of trainee doctors, including interns and resident doctors, walked off the job in February to protest against a plan to lift medical student numbers by 2,000 a year to meet what authorities project will be a severe shortage of doctors.
        
        Hospitals which had relied on trainee doctors across multiple medical disciplines have had to turn away patients at emergency rooms, citing a shortage of staff, while existing doctors have experienced heavier workloads, the government said.
        
        The KMA, which represents practicing doctors, said more ER physicians at university hospitals have been resigning due to overwork and fear of facing malpractice lawsuits exacerbated by fatigue.