Four professors from Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital strongly criticized trainee doctors and medical students who refuse to return to work and school despite the government's withdrawal of its policy to increase medical school admissions next year. In a statement titled “To those who claim that colleagues who return to work and school are no longer colleagues - it's time to decide,” the professors said, "The current way of fighting and goals are not just, nor can they persuade society," and warned that if this attitude continues, they will eventually lose their monopoly power and be eliminated. The professors decided that it could no longer tolerate the outrageous behavior of students who mocked their colleagues and encouraged them to skip classes. Trainee doctors and medical students should take the professors' words to heart.

Kang Hee-kyung (left) and Ha Eun-jin, professors from Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital, attend a discussion on Korea’s medical system held at Seoul National University College of Medicine in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on March 18. Yonhap News

“Resigning and taking a leave of absence is your own choice,” the professors said, and asked, “Who are the real victims? Aren’t the patients who have been neglected and untreated for a year and their families?” This may be what the public and patients who have endured the medical crisis for more than a year have wanted to say all along. Patients' groups said they “saw a beam of hope.” They were comforted by these doctors.

However, the representative of trainee doctors criticized them, saying, “They don't even deserve to be called professors.” Park Dan, head of the emergency committee at the Korea Intern Resident Association (KIRA), shared the statement on Facebook, calling it a “confession of professors who have not fulfilled their duties as educators.” It seems that the cries of patients are no longer heard by trainee doctors. The admissions hike for next year has been canceled, and the majority of members of a physician supply and demand estimation committee will also be appointed by the medical community, which begs the question of whether there is any point in continuing collective action.

In fact, it seems that trainee doctors and medical students do not have any alternative proposals to confront the government. Of the “seven demands” that trainee doctors made as a condition for returning to work, most of them, such as establishing a physician supply and demand estimation committee, expanding recruitment of specialists in training hospitals, and improving the training environment, are being addressed by the government and the National Assembly. The key issue is the “complete cancellation of the essential medical policy package and the medical school admissions hike,” which is something to be discussed by a medical and governmental consultative body. The essential medical policy package includes measures demanded by the medical community, but trainee doctors point to the "prohibition of mixed medical treatment,” where trainee doctors are in charge of both benefit and non-benefit medical treatment, as a problem. They say it will reduce their future income, but it is right to discuss it in the National Assembly first.

Now that the government has made concessions, there is no reason for trainee doctors and medical students to be outside of hospitals and schools. The deadline for medical students to return to school is the end of this month. We expect students to take the advice of professors and return to school. It is time for trainee doctors to make it clear what they want and start making compromises and resolving the situation.