S.Korea: Amid doctors' walk-off, hospitals shut wards, extend hours

By Serdar Dincel

ISTANBUL (AA) - Major hospitals in South Korea have shut down wards and rearranged staff to continue providing health care amid weeks-long protests in which junior doctors walked off the job.

Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital have all incurred over $741,000 in financial losses and have turned to “emergency management mode,” Seoul-based Yonhap News reported Wednesday.

Thousands of junior doctors and interns have submitted resignations in protest of the government’s move to create an additional 2,000 spots at medical schools.

They have been joined by the country’s medical school professors since Monday.

"We cannot even forecast when the situation will end as trainee doctors have not reported to work and professors have tendered resignations," a hospital official said. "Remaining workers have also been thinly stretched."

The protest has thrown out of gear South Korea’s health system, where the role of junior doctors is critical. Many surgeries have been postponed while hospitals have extended working hours to try to ease the rush of patients.

South Korea’s military has also opened its facilities to help the civilian government amid the health care crisis.