Seoul turns to foreign doctors as medical strike drags on

SEOUL – South Korea will allow foreign doctors to work in its hospitals after a rigorous vetting process, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on May 10, as a

months-long strike by junior medics shows no sign of resolution

.

But the scheme will not take effect any time soon, following strong defiance from Korean doctors, the Korea Herald reported.

The media outlet reported Mr Han as saying on May 10 that there are no immediate plans to bring in foreign licensed holders to fill the current shortage, and that sufficient safety measures would be put in place.

Thousands stopped working on Feb 20 to protest against government plans to train more doctors, causing chaos in hospitals.

The government, which has already offered some concessions in a bid to end the stand-off, said this week that doctors with foreign medical licences would be allowed to practise in the country, in a bid to ease service disruptions.

After the move was announced, head of the Korean Medical Association Lim Hyun-taek shared a screenshot of a news report on newly graduated Somali doctors with the comment “coming soon”.

The post, which was later removed, prompted widespread online criticism, and was highly inappropriate and “clearly racist”, Mr Kim Jae-heon, the secretary-general of a non-governmental organisation advocating free medical care, told AFP.

The post “exploited Islamophobia and stereotyping against developing countries”, he said.

Mr Han said on May 10 that the government would make sure there was “a thorough safety system to prevent unqualified doctors (with foreign licences) from treating our people”.

The government is locked in a protracted stand-off with the junior doctors, who have refused to return to their hospitals, despite the Health Ministry offering in April to scale back proposed medical training reforms for 2025.

The striking doctors have rejected the offer, demanding instead that the plan to create more doctors – which the government says is essential to combat shortages and care for a rapidly ageing population – be scrapped entirely.

The fight over the government’s medical plan is currently before the Seoul High Court, with doctors and medical students seeking to prove it is unnecessary, and the ministry seeking to uphold the government plan.

An administrative court has already ruled in the government’s favour, and the Seoul High Court is expected to deliver its decision next week, according to South Korea’s Yonhap news agency. AFP