South Korean police raided the offices of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) on Friday as the government faces a strike by young doctors that is crippling hospitals, according to a police source.
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When questioned by AFP, a Seoul police official confirmed that search of the main organization representing doctors, without providing further details.
Nearly 10,000 medical interns, or 80% of the workforce, walked off their jobs last week to protest a reform that would open admissions to medical schools more widely. The authorities want to counteract the shortage of health workers and the aging of the population.
The government had given the interns until Thursday, February 29, to return to work or face arrest or loss of their licenses.
According to the Ministry of Health, only 565 doctors returned to work before this deadline.
The massive strike has had a significant impact on hospitals. According to the ministry, about half of planned operations at 15 major hospitals have been canceled since last week.
According to South Korean law, doctors are not allowed to strike.
The Health Ministry posted documents on its website ordering 13 interns to return to work with their license numbers and part of their name visible. “We would like to inform you that refusal to comply with the return to work order without good reason may result in disciplinary action and criminal prosecution,” the document reads.
Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, however, “welcomed with gratitude the wise decision of the interns who returned with the patients” in a press release issued on Friday.
The government this week called on police to investigate those involved in the protest.
The KMA criticized the government for its “intimidation tactics” and condemned the ultimatum given and the initiation of an investigation. The group accused the government of turning the country into a “totalitarian state.”
The organization called for a rally in Seoul on Sunday, with around 25,000 people expected, according to local media estimates.
Seoul claims to have one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios among developed countries, and the government is insisting on admitting 2,000 more students to medical schools each year starting next year.
Interns say the plan would compromise the quality of services and point out that the health system's over-reliance on junior doctors is unfair.
But reform advocates say doctors are most concerned that the changes could worsen their salaries and social status.
According to surveys, almost 75% of the population support the reforms.