▲A patient and a guardian are looking out the window at a large hospital in Seoul on the 21st. (yunhap news)
Professors at Yonsei University College of Medicine’s teaching hospitals, including Severance Hospital, and Korea University Medical Center announced that they will continue to take a break ‘once a week’ next month.
According to Yonhap News, the Emergency Response Committee of Yonsei University College of Medicine announced on this day, “To ensure safe treatment for patients and maintain the professor’s medical capacity and health, we have decided to suspend outpatient treatment and surgery for one day on the 30th of this month based on the professor’s individual choice.” .
He added, “We will watch for changes in the government’s opinion and whether students and residents can return safely according to this,” adding, “We have decided to continue closing one day a week to ensure safe treatment for patients until the end of May.”
The emergency committee explained that this was an inevitable measure as professors faced mental and physical limitations.
In addition, it was also emphasized that the majority of Yonsei University Medical School professors, approximately 1,300, submitted their resignation letters to the dean of the medical school on the 25th of last month, so the resignation letters will take effect from that day.
Professors at Korea University Medical Center will also stop providing outpatient treatment and surgery once a week from the 30th.
The emergency response committee of Korea University Medical Center’s professors held an online meeting with professors from Korea University’s Anam, Guro, and Ansan hospitals on this day and made this decision. However, we decided to make efforts to maintain emergency and intensive care services.
The Emergency Committee explained, “We follow the recommendations of the National Medical School Professor Emergency Response Committee,” and “We decided to close classes for the safety of patients and to relieve professor fatigue.”
In addition, the Emergency Committee reminded the professors that “starting on the 25th, the resignation letter submitted last month may take effect under civil law,” and added, “If the current situation continues until the end of May, the final time when students and residents can return without damage, the professor “We will make (additional) changes to the form of treatment considering their health status,” he said.