South Korea weighs legal measure as some professors move to boycott training of junior doctors

Seoul, July 25 (IANS) The South Korean government said on Thursday that it has been considering taking legal action against some medical professors who threaten to boycott training programmes for junior doctors.

Some medical professors have vowed to boycott training programmes for junior doctors in protest of the government's push for accepting the resignations of striking trainees and the medical school admission quota hikes, Yonhap news agency reported.

"We have been reviewing several possible legal measures against the boycott," Director General for Healthcare Policy Kim Kook-il told reporters.

Hospitals have started hiring about 7,700 trainee doctors for the training programme set to begin in September, as they accepted resignations from 7,648 trainees at the request of the government, to allow striking doctors to find new jobs while ending the prolonged walkout.

More than 90 per cent of around 13,000 junior doctors walked off their jobs in February in the form of resignations, protesting the government's medical reform plan.

The government has already finalized an admissions quota hike of approximately 1,500 students for medical schools next year in an effort to address problems stemming from the shortage of doctors.

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