South Korean doctors strike in protest of plans to add more physicians - BBC News

Medical interns and residents have resigned or gone on strike over a recruitment proposal.

7 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Doctors in Seoul protesting against the government's plan to bump up numbersBy Frances MaoBBC NewsSurgeries have been delayed and hospitals have turned away patients after more than 1,600 doctors in South Korea went on strike on Tuesday.

The junior doctors are protesting the government's plans to introduce more trained physicians into the system.

South Korea has one of the lowest doctor-to-patient ratios among major economies, so the government wants to add more medical school placements.

But doctors oppose the prospect of greater competition, observers say.

South Korea has a highly privatised healthcare system where most procedures are tied to insurance payments, and more than 90% of hospitals are private.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68345046

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