S Korea sets Thursday as deadline for striking young doctors to return to work

South Koreas government gave striking young doctors four days to report back to work saying on Monday that they wont be punished if they return by the deadline but will face indictments and suspensions of medical licenses if they dontAbout 9000 medical interns and residents have stayed off the job since early last week to protest a government plan to increase medical school admissions by about 65 per cent The walkouts have severely hurt their hospitals operations with numerous surgeries and other treatment cancellationsGovernment officials say adding more doctors is necessary to deal with South Koreas rapidly ageing population The countrys current doctortopatient ratio is among the lowest in the developed worldThe strikers say universities cant handle so many new students and argue the plan would not resolve a chronic shortage of doctors in some key but lowpaying areas like paediatrics and emergency departmentsVice Health Minister Park Minsoo said during a televised briefing on Monday that the government wont seek any disciplinary action against striking doctors if they return to work by ThursdayWe want them to return to work by the end of this month February 29 If they return to the hospitals they had left by then we wont hold them responsible for any damages caused by their walkouts Park saidBut he said those who dont meet the deadline will be punished with a minimum threemonth suspension of their medical licenses and face further legal steps such as investigations and possible indictmentsUnder South Koreas medical law the government can issue backtowork orders to doctors and other medical personnel when it sees grave risks to public health Refusing to abide by such an order can bring up to three years in prison or 30 million won USD 22480 in fines along with revocation of medical licensesThere are about 13000 medical interns and residents in South Korea most working and training at 100 hospitals They typically assist senior doctors during surgeries and deal with inpatients They represent about 30 to 40 per cent of total doctors at some major hospitalsThe Korea Medical Association representing about 140000 doctors in South Korea has said it supports the striking doctors but hasnt determined whether to join the trainee doctors walkouts Senior doctors have held a series of rallies voicing opposition to the governments planEarlier this month the government announced universities would admit 2000 more medical students starting next year from the current 3058 The government says it aims to add up to 10000 doctors by 2035A public survey said about 80 per cent of South Koreans back the government plan Critics suspect doctors one of the bestpaid professions in South Korea oppose the recruitment plan because they worry they would face greater competition and lower incomeStriking doctors have said they worry doctors faced with increased competition would engage in overtreatment burdening public medical expensesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever