Nurses to expand role in emergency units as trainee doctors walk out

About 92 percent of 13,000 trainee doctors have left their worksites in a protest of the government’s plan to boost medical school enrollments by 2,000 next year, the health ministry said. (File Photo: Luis Melendez/Unsplash)

SEOUL – Nurses were authorized to expand their role in the emergency rooms of major hospitals Friday to cope with a shortage of medical staff, as a mass walkout by more than 11,000 trainee doctors entered its 18th day and caused disruptions in health care services.

About 92 percent of 13,000 trainee doctors have left their worksites in a protest of the government’s plan to boost medical school enrollments by 2,000 next year, the health ministry said.

To make up for the shortage of medical staff, emergency units at military hospitals have been opened to the public, and health authorities began formally allowing nurses at major hospitals to perform CPR and administer medication for emergency patients Friday.

The health ministry launched a pilot program late last month, enabling nurses to undertake specific responsibilities held by doctors in a restricted capacity.

Local hospitals have been experiencing cancellations and delays in surgeries and emergency medical treatment, as medical interns and residents continue their walkout despite the government’s call for them to return by the end of February.

Health authorities also launched legal procedures to punish junior doctors defying the government’s order, warning their licenses could be suspended for at least three months.

The police questioned leaders of the Korea Medical Association, a major lobby group of senior doctors, the previous day on the charges of violation of the medical law and obstruction of justice.

The government has been pushing to increase physician numbers as a way to resolve the shortage of doctors in rural areas and essential medical fields, such as pediatrics and neurosurgery, and also given the super-aging population.

Doctors say the quota hikes will undermine the quality of medical education and other services and result in higher medical costs for patients.

They have called for measures to first address the underpaid specialists and improve the legal protection against excessive medical malpractice lawsuits. (Yonhap)