Foreign medical staff with practice licenses welcomed in Korea

The Korean Ministry of Health has announced that licensed medical professionals from other countries will now be able to practice legally in South Korea. This decision comes as the country faces significant disruptions in medical services due to a strike by intern doctors that has been ongoing for three months.

Individuals with overseas licenses will be permitted to practice medicine in South Korea if approved by the Health Minister during this high-health crisis period. This move is seen as a way for the government to prepare for the possibility of the strike worsening in the future. Previously, the Ministry of Health only accepted individuals with practice certificates issued within the country.

Deputy Health Minister Park Min-soo recently stated that medical schools now have the autonomy to determine enrollment targets within the range of 50-100%, no longer requiring the set number of 2,000 as before. The government has also delayed suspending the licenses of striking doctors and has not issued mobilization orders for professors who have resigned, seen as a compromise move. However, doctors’ associations are still demanding that the government cancel the decision to increase medical student quotas and reconsider the health reform plan.

The ongoing deadlock between the government and the medical community is putting Korean patients in a precarious situation as many medical procedures are being postponed or canceled. Since February 20, over 9,000 resident doctors have gone on strike to protest the government’s policy of increasing medical school enrollment quotas by 2,000. The strike is centered around concerns that this reform will impact the quality of medical services and lead to increased hospital bills for patients.

The crisis has escalated to involve medical students and professors, who have also left their positions in support of the resident doctors. Meanwhile, the government has moved to revoke the practice licenses of nearly 5,000 striking doctors and is considering criminal penalties. This situation has created a healthcare crisis in South Korea, with many patients experiencing delays in treatment and surgeries.

The government defends its decision to increase enrollment targets as necessary to address the aging population and strengthen the medical workforce in essential sectors such as pediatrics, emergency medicine, and surgery.