S. Korea's national medical license exam postponed due to student protests
- 4 years ago
정부, 의사 국가고시 실기시험 1주일 연기…9월 8일부터 시행
Doctors and the government here have made little progress in bridging the gap as trainee doctors continue their strike in protest against the government's proposed healthcare reform plans.
Medical students have joined in by canceling their registration for the Medical Licensing Exam initially set for Tuesday.
With a day to go, the government has decided to postpone the exam.
Our Kim Do-yeon reports.
At one point, almost 90 percent of the students up for the medical license exam canceled their registration in protest of the government's proposed healthcare reforms.
On Monday, just a day before the start of the exam, the government decided to postpone it for one week due to the ongoing situation.
"Even with COVID-19, many other national exams were held as planned. The government made this decision under difficult circumstances as many professors and seniors in the medical industry voiced their concerns and provided some alternatives."
The government is reaching out to the students directly to confirm their intention to cancel. Some decided to re-register for the exam but students will now have more time re-think.
In the meantime, though, the strike by residents and interns continues and the patients are feeling the absence.
For example, Seoul National University Hospital didn't accepted any new patients and cut down on out-patient appointments.
On Monday, there were around 2,600 appointments, which is 22-percent less than the 10th of this month.
President Moon Jae-in voiced his concerns.
"Because of the COVID-19 situation, we don't have much time. The government doesn't have many options as it has execute laws to protect the lives and health of the citizens."
Concerned about the situation, last week, the government decided to file a complaint to the police department against the doctors who have rejected the return-to-work order.
Senior and professor-level doctors showed their anger over this decision.
Especially at Daegu's Kyungpook National University Hospital where around 80 of them gathered to protest against the healthcare reforms and to show support to their juniors.
Meanwhile, the government has continued its field investigations to see who has rejected the order.
The healthcare reforms being opposed includes increasing medical school admission quotas to produce four-thousand more doctors over the next decade.
Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News
Doctors and the government here have made little progress in bridging the gap as trainee doctors continue their strike in protest against the government's proposed healthcare reform plans.
Medical students have joined in by canceling their registration for the Medical Licensing Exam initially set for Tuesday.
With a day to go, the government has decided to postpone the exam.
Our Kim Do-yeon reports.
At one point, almost 90 percent of the students up for the medical license exam canceled their registration in protest of the government's proposed healthcare reforms.
On Monday, just a day before the start of the exam, the government decided to postpone it for one week due to the ongoing situation.
"Even with COVID-19, many other national exams were held as planned. The government made this decision under difficult circumstances as many professors and seniors in the medical industry voiced their concerns and provided some alternatives."
The government is reaching out to the students directly to confirm their intention to cancel. Some decided to re-register for the exam but students will now have more time re-think.
In the meantime, though, the strike by residents and interns continues and the patients are feeling the absence.
For example, Seoul National University Hospital didn't accepted any new patients and cut down on out-patient appointments.
On Monday, there were around 2,600 appointments, which is 22-percent less than the 10th of this month.
President Moon Jae-in voiced his concerns.
"Because of the COVID-19 situation, we don't have much time. The government doesn't have many options as it has execute laws to protect the lives and health of the citizens."
Concerned about the situation, last week, the government decided to file a complaint to the police department against the doctors who have rejected the return-to-work order.
Senior and professor-level doctors showed their anger over this decision.
Especially at Daegu's Kyungpook National University Hospital where around 80 of them gathered to protest against the healthcare reforms and to show support to their juniors.
Meanwhile, the government has continued its field investigations to see who has rejected the order.
The healthcare reforms being opposed includes increasing medical school admission quotas to produce four-thousand more doctors over the next decade.
Kim Do-yeon, Arirang News