The South Korean government announced on Monday the deployment of military doctors to support hospital emergency rooms (ERs) grappling with staffing shortages. This move comes amid a strike by young medical professionals, including interns and residents, which has heightened concerns about the stability of the healthcare system.
Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo refuted claims by some medical professionals that the healthcare system is nearing collapse. Park emphasized that while certain hospitals have reduced ER hours and are operating with fewer doctors, reports suggesting that major hospitals are shutting down ER operations are inaccurate.
To alleviate the strain, the government plans to deploy 15 military doctors to the most affected emergency rooms initially and rotate 235 military and community doctors through troubled hospitals starting September 9, according to Park.
Despite these measures, the national association of medical school professors issued a statement on Monday warning that many ERs are not providing regular services and that the collapse of the healthcare system has already begun. However, the government maintains that while there are challenges within the emergency medical system, it is not at risk of complete collapse.
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South Korea deploys military doctors amid medical staff shortage
cgtn.com
