There are about 13,000 trained doctors in South Korea (French)
More than 6,400 trainee doctors have resigned in South Korea in protest against the government's plan to increase the number of medical students, officials said Tuesday, as concerns grow that their collective action could endanger public health.
Second Deputy Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters that the ministry had ordered 831 trainee doctors to return to work, as tensions escalated between the doctors and the government over the plan to add 2,000 to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year, according to Yonhap News Agency.
Park said that as of Monday, 6,415 trainee doctors in 100 hospitals had submitted their resignations.
There are about 13,000 trained doctors in South Korea.
With trainee doctors no longer working in some hospitals, some patients have already experienced delays in surgeries and other treatments. However, there has been no major disruption to medical services so far.
Source: German