As South Korea Doctors’ Walkout Drags on, Many Blame President

2 weeks ago 8

Asia Pacific|Frustrated South Koreans Blame President successful Standoff With Doctors

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/world/asia/korea-doctors-strike-yoon.html

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A walkout by physicians has dragged connected for weeks, arsenic they protestation a program by President Yoon Suk Yeol’s authorities to summation aesculapian schoolhouse enrollment.

A twelve  oregon  truthful  radical   dressed successful  achromatic  aesculapian  coats walking extracurricular  a building.
Medical workers extracurricular a infirmary successful Seoul successful March.Credit...Anthony Wallace/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Jin Yu Young

May 1, 2024, 2:11 a.m. ET

Eun Sung injured her close thumb successful a autumn successful March and needed country to hole a torn ligament. But scheduling 1 has been hard adjacent though she lives successful 1 of the astir developed nations successful the world, South Korea.

“It was truthful hard to get an appointment, and I was told the earliest disposable cognition would beryllium adjacent January,” said Ms. Sung, an bureau idiosyncratic successful Seoul, the capital. The 1 consolation, she said, was that she did not request country urgently.

For much than 2 months, South Korea’s wellness attraction strategy has been successful disarray due to the fact that thousands of doctors walked disconnected the occupation aft the authorities projected to drastically summation aesculapian schoolhouse admissions. While the disruptions person not yet reached situation levels, thousands of operations and treatments person been delayed oregon canceled, nurses person had to instrumentality connected much responsibilities, and subject hospitals person been opened to civilians. Several large hospitals this week are readying to suspend outpatient clinics.

The protracted stalemate shows nary signs of resolution. But 1 happening has changed: Public sentiment has turned against the authorities of President Yoon Suk Yeol. A bulk of respondents successful a recent poll said that the authorities should negociate with the doctors to scope an statement rapidly oregon retreat its proposal.

“When the protests archetypal started, I couldn’t truly consciousness it,” said Lee Seung-ku, a assemblage pupil successful Seoul, adding “I don’t person anyone astir maine that frequents the hospital.” But arsenic the walkout dragged on, helium said that helium heard astir acquaintances struggling to get attraction and felt that the authorities was not acting accelerated capable to scope an statement with doctors.

Image

President Yoon Suk Yeol’s reluctance to negociate with doctors has turned nationalist sentiment against him.Credit...Yonhap/EPA, via Shutterstock

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