04/02 (Tue.) The 2024 South Korean doctors’ strike (Host: Sherry)
發表於 : 週三 3月 27, 2024 11:46 pm
Dear YOYOs,
Last month, South Korea doctors went on strike to protest the government's plans to increase 2,000 medical school students per year - a 65% increase on the current yearly enrollment of 3,058 students. Thousands of junior doctors, including interns and residents, went on strike, causing surgeries to be delayed and hospitals to turn away patients. As of today, the strike is still ongoing.
The South Korean government claims the plans is to address the shortage of doctors in critical areas. According to the data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), there are currently only 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people in South Korea - the second lowest rate in the OECD group of nations after Mexico.
But doctors claim that the manpower shortage in these places is not due to insufficient numbers, but rather to inadequate medical resources and treatment in these places that made it difficult to retain staff there. They call for improvements to pay and working conditions.
The South Korean government has begun taking steps to suspend the medical licenses of thousands of striking junior doctors, days after they missed a government-set deadline to end their joint walkouts. But the strike appears to be getting worse. As of March 8, 11,994 striking doctors, who make up 92.9% of the trainee workforce, have not yet returned to work. On March 25, medical professors began cutting back on the hours spent in practice in support of the ongoing strike.
Which side are you on? Please join us next Tuesday and let us know what you have to say!
Reference:
1. South Korea’s doctors on the brink with strike over enrollment surge plans | KOREA PRO
2. South Korean doctors strike in protest of plans to add more physicians | BBC News
3. South Korea strike: Thousands of junior doctors face suspensions | AP News
4. South Korea doctors’ strike widens as medical professors join protests | The Guardian
Questions for Discussion
Session I
Q1. The South Korean doctors have been on strike for more than a month, and the situation seems to be getting worse. What do you think are the main reasons why young doctors risk facing license suspensions by going on strike? Why do senior doctors and medical professors support them?
Q2. Public surveys show that a majority of South Koreans support the government’s policy to create more doctors. What are the possible reasons for that?
(Note: A Gallup Korea poll on Feb 16 showed that about 76% of respondents supported the policy of increasing medical school admissions. Another survey released by the Yonhap News Agency (韓聯社) on March 5 showed that 84% of respondents supported increasing the number of doctors, while 43% said striking doctors should be severely punished.)
Q3. Why is the government determined to implement the policy to increase medical school students? Do you think the South Korean government's response to the doctors' strike is justified or disproportionate? Is there anything the South Korean government could have done differently to avoid the doctors' strike?
Q4. A member of the Korea Severe Disease Association said that the government and the doctors are "fighting on the bodies of dying patients". What do you think? Which side are you on, the government or the striking doctors?
Session II
Q5. Some say doctors' strikes are immoral and quote the famous Declaration of Geneva, which states that as a member of the medical profession "the health and well-being of my patient will be my first consideration." What to you think? Do you agree that in a democracy, the right to strike should be available in any profession?
Q6. Should the medical school enrollment quota be limited? How should these be balanced against the need for accessible and high-quality healthcare?
Q7. What do you think the final outcome of this strike will be? Who will give in, the South Korean government or the striking doctors? What would be the effects if the South Korean government proceeded to suspend the licenses of all 9,000 doctors who went on strike?
Q8. Does increasing the number of medical students solves the problem of doctor shortage? As the protesting doctors say, many doctors have moved on to the more profitable fields of plastic surgery and dermatology. When the medical industry has become a free market, how does the government address the shortage of doctors in essential yet lower-paying areas like paediatrics and obstetrics, and in rural regions outside the greater capital area as the population ages?
Agenda:
6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:45pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
7:45 ~ 8:00pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:00 ~ 8:05pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:05 ~ 8:40pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
8:40 ~ 8:55pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements
Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $85)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘
Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.
Last month, South Korea doctors went on strike to protest the government's plans to increase 2,000 medical school students per year - a 65% increase on the current yearly enrollment of 3,058 students. Thousands of junior doctors, including interns and residents, went on strike, causing surgeries to be delayed and hospitals to turn away patients. As of today, the strike is still ongoing.
The South Korean government claims the plans is to address the shortage of doctors in critical areas. According to the data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), there are currently only 2.5 doctors per 1,000 people in South Korea - the second lowest rate in the OECD group of nations after Mexico.
But doctors claim that the manpower shortage in these places is not due to insufficient numbers, but rather to inadequate medical resources and treatment in these places that made it difficult to retain staff there. They call for improvements to pay and working conditions.
The South Korean government has begun taking steps to suspend the medical licenses of thousands of striking junior doctors, days after they missed a government-set deadline to end their joint walkouts. But the strike appears to be getting worse. As of March 8, 11,994 striking doctors, who make up 92.9% of the trainee workforce, have not yet returned to work. On March 25, medical professors began cutting back on the hours spent in practice in support of the ongoing strike.
Which side are you on? Please join us next Tuesday and let us know what you have to say!
Reference:
1. South Korea’s doctors on the brink with strike over enrollment surge plans | KOREA PRO
2. South Korean doctors strike in protest of plans to add more physicians | BBC News
3. South Korea strike: Thousands of junior doctors face suspensions | AP News
4. South Korea doctors’ strike widens as medical professors join protests | The Guardian
Questions for Discussion
Session I
Q1. The South Korean doctors have been on strike for more than a month, and the situation seems to be getting worse. What do you think are the main reasons why young doctors risk facing license suspensions by going on strike? Why do senior doctors and medical professors support them?
Q2. Public surveys show that a majority of South Koreans support the government’s policy to create more doctors. What are the possible reasons for that?
(Note: A Gallup Korea poll on Feb 16 showed that about 76% of respondents supported the policy of increasing medical school admissions. Another survey released by the Yonhap News Agency (韓聯社) on March 5 showed that 84% of respondents supported increasing the number of doctors, while 43% said striking doctors should be severely punished.)
Q3. Why is the government determined to implement the policy to increase medical school students? Do you think the South Korean government's response to the doctors' strike is justified or disproportionate? Is there anything the South Korean government could have done differently to avoid the doctors' strike?
Q4. A member of the Korea Severe Disease Association said that the government and the doctors are "fighting on the bodies of dying patients". What do you think? Which side are you on, the government or the striking doctors?
Session II
Q5. Some say doctors' strikes are immoral and quote the famous Declaration of Geneva, which states that as a member of the medical profession "the health and well-being of my patient will be my first consideration." What to you think? Do you agree that in a democracy, the right to strike should be available in any profession?
Q6. Should the medical school enrollment quota be limited? How should these be balanced against the need for accessible and high-quality healthcare?
Q7. What do you think the final outcome of this strike will be? Who will give in, the South Korean government or the striking doctors? What would be the effects if the South Korean government proceeded to suspend the licenses of all 9,000 doctors who went on strike?
Q8. Does increasing the number of medical students solves the problem of doctor shortage? As the protesting doctors say, many doctors have moved on to the more profitable fields of plastic surgery and dermatology. When the medical industry has become a free market, how does the government address the shortage of doctors in essential yet lower-paying areas like paediatrics and obstetrics, and in rural regions outside the greater capital area as the population ages?
Agenda:
6:45 ~ 7:00pm Greetings & Free Talk / Ordering Beverage or Meal / Getting Newcomer’s Information
7:00 ~ 7:10pm Opening Remarks / Newcomer’s Self-introduction / Grouping
(Session I)
7:10 ~ 7:45pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
7:45 ~ 8:00pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:00 ~ 8:05pm Regrouping / Instruction Giving / Taking a 5 Minutes Break (Intermission)
(Session II)
8:05 ~ 8:40pm Discussion Session (35 mins)
8:40 ~ 8:55pm Summarization (15 mins)
8:55 ~ 9:00pm Concluding Remarks / Announcements
Meeting Date: As shown on the Subject Line
Meeting Time: 7:00pm – 9:00pm
Meeting Venue: 丹堤咖啡 Dante Coffee (Minimum Order $85)
Address: 台北市濟南路三段25號[MAP]-捷運忠孝新生站3號出口步行3分鐘
Important Notes:
1. We advise participants to print out the discussion questions and bring them to the meeting for reference. As for the supporting articles, feel free to print them out, as well, according to your preference.
2. We suggest that participants read the articles and think about the questions in advance.
3. Newcomers should prepare a two-to-three minute self-introduction in English to deliver when called upon by the host before the start of the discussion. The host may also ask you to give brief feedback about the meeting at the conclusion of the meeting.
4. We conduct the entire meeting in English. All participants should have at least moderate English-conversation skills and be able to articulate your ideas for each discussion question.
5. We welcome newcomers and other guests to attend the meetings and join the discussion freely for two times. After that, we hope you will consider becoming a YoYo English Club member. We charge a NT$1500 lifetime membership fee, or NT$1000 for students.