The number of medical residents at South Korea’s five major hospitals has more than doubled in the first half of this year compared to the end of last year, following a period of mass resignations. Though, the current total remains significantly below pre-dispute levels.
As of the end of June, the “Big 5” hospitals-Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Samsung Seoul Hospital, Seoul Asan Hospital, adn Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital-reported a combined total of 548 residents, including 113 interns and 435 residents. This represents a 2.38-fold increase from the 230 residents (17 interns,213 residents) recorded at the end of December last year,when the medical dispute was ongoing.
Seoul National University Hospital saw its resident numbers climb from 67 to 171, a 2.55-fold increase. Severance Hospital’s resident count rose from 46 to 123, a 2.67-fold increase. Samsung Seoul Hospital’s residents increased from 43 to 106, Seoul Asan Hospital’s from 35 to 75, and Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital also experienced a meaningful rise.
This uptick is attributed to doctors returning to their positions amid the prolonged medical dispute. The figures also reflect those who responded to additional recruitment efforts for resigned positions in May.
Despite the increase, the total number of residents at these major hospitals is still substantially lower than before the dispute. As of the end of June, the combined resident count was 80.01% lower than the 2,742 individuals (628 interns, 2,114 residents) recorded at the end of 2023, prior to the legislative conflict.
Seoul Asan Hospital reported an 87.02% decrease in residents, Severance Hospital 79.90%, and Seoul National University Hospital 76.89% compared to pre-dispute numbers.
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