Patients on edge as doctors prepare for hospitals walkout
Korea HeraldFEB 2 2024
SKorea: Trainee Doctors Walk-Out Disrupts Healthcare Sector
Image copyright: Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
South Korea's doctor's unions are effectively holding their ailing patients hostage to stop a public policy favored by the vast majority of the population. 76-90% of people support the increase in medical students. This proposal is in line with other major economies working to meet the needs of their aging populations. The striking doctors are not focused on the needs of patients here.
Narrative B
The current labor shortage isn't taking place throughout the entire medical field but rather a select number of specialty fields that endure uniquely low wages and 80-hour work weeks. The proposed increase in medical students won't help with this shortage — it will continue to bring wages down for struggling doctors while also lowering the quality of education at medical schools.