SNU medical professors to resign next week if gov’t doesn’t seek breakthrough in walkout

Medical school professors at Seoul National University (SNU) resolved Monday to submit resignations en masse beginning next week if the government does not seek a reasonable breakthrough in the protracted walkout by trainee doctors, the professors’ council said.

The decision was announced by the council of SNU medical professors following an online meeting of professors at three SNU hospitals, participated in by 430 of the total 1,475 professors.

Nearly 12,000 intern and resident doctors have stayed off their duties at general hospitals across the nation for three weeks in protest against the government’s plan to hike the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 seats.

“(We) decided to submit resignations voluntarily beginning next Monday in case the government does not undertake to reach a sincere, reasonable resolution of the situation,” the council’s emergency committee said.

“All participating medical professors have consented to submitting resignations,” the committee’s chief Bang Jae-seung also said.

The professors are, however, largely expected to stay on duty for emergent or serious patients as long as their resignations are not granted.

The collective move by SNU medical professors if realized is likely to further cripple health care services across the nation with no signs of a breakthrough in the protracted walkout.

Two more medical schools, those of Sungkyunkwan University and Catholic University of Korea, are also scheduled to hold meetings of professors later this week to discuss the possibility of collective action.