South Korea deploys military doctors amid medical staff shortage but denies emergency room collapse

The South Korean government announced on Monday that it is deploying military doctors to support hospital emergency rooms facing staffing shortages, while refuting claims by some medical professionals that the healthcare system is nearing collapse.

A strike by young doctors, including interns and residents, has put significant pressure on the country's medical system. Despite this, Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo emphasized that although some hospitals have reduced emergency room (ER) hours and are operating with fewer doctors, reports of major hospitals shutting down ER operations are inaccurate.

There are some challenges in the emergency medical system, but it is not at risk of collapse, as some have suggested, Park said during a briefing.

To alleviate the strain, the government plans to deploy 15 military doctors to the most affected emergency rooms initially and rotate 235 military and community doctors through troubled hospitals starting September 9, according to Park.

Earlier on Monday, the national association of medical school professors issued a statement warning that many emergency rooms were not providing regular services and that the healthcare system's collapse had already begun.

The crisis began in February when thousands of trainee doctors went on strike to protest a government proposal to increase medical student admissions by 2,000 annually, aimed at addressing a projected shortage of doctors. Hospitals heavily dependent on these trainee doctors have since been forced to turn away patients due to staffing shortages, leading to increased workloads for remaining medical staff.

There are growing concerns over the potential impact of a three-day autumn holiday beginning September 16, which could further strain ER services. In response, the government has announced plans to keep 4,000 local clinics and smaller hospitals open on a rotating basis during the holiday period to manage patient care.

(With input from agencies)