The Cabinet on Wednesday approved the use of 128.5 billion won (US$96.28 million) from state reserve funds for hiring medical staff, mobilizing military doctors and implementing various measures for patients to minimize medical service disruptions amid the prolonged walkout by trainee doctors.
Thousands of trainee doctors nationwide have walked off the job since Feb. 20 after tendering mass resignations in protest of the government’s decision to add 2,000 more medical school seats starting next year, from the current 3,058.
The collective action has disrupted operations of major hospitals across the country, as trainee doctors are a crucial part of large hospitals, particularly in emergency and acute health care duties.
“In an effort to minimize chaos, the government decided to tap reserve funds and spend 128.5 billion won on paying for medical staff working on weekends, holidays and other emergency situations,” the finance ministry said in a release.
The fund will also be used for dispatching military d
octors to civilian hospitals and hiring additional medical staff on a temporary basis, as well as supporting transporting patients between medical clinics if necessary, the ministry added.
Despite a deepening crisis, there appears to be no signs of the confrontation between the government and doctors being resolved, as the government has taken steps to punish striking doctors, while doctors have vowed not to back down.
Source: Yonhap News Agency