SEOUL, March 4 (Reuters) - South Korea's government will take steps to suspend the medical licenses of some 7,000 trainee doctors who have walked off the job and ignored a back-to-work order, a vice health minister said on Monday.
Doctors chant slogans during a rally to protest against government plans to increase medical school admissions in Seoul, South Korea
This is the entire news article. The doctors were protesting because the government is increasing
the cost of tuitionmedical school admissions.The bigger context for this story is that South Korea give striking doctors an ultimatum - return to work or face having medical licenses revoked. With thousands now facing license revocation in order to continue protesting overwork and low wages in the country's largely private healthcare system. Despite being well paid, junior doctors often work up to 100 hours a week, resulting in them making less than minimum wage. Increasing the amount of doctors won't fix the structural issues of for-profit healthcare.
I'm usually more supportive of labor protests but it's hard to see the strike aimed at blocking this legislation as anything but selfish.
Are there details about them demanding labor concessions in exchange for this bill or is it simply "no more new doctors"?
Ah yes, people being forced to work 100 hour weeks are selfish. That's totally the problem here. https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/overworked-unheard-south-korean-doctors-mass-walkout-say-2024-02-26/
