Patients Left Vulnerable as Doctor Walkouts Lead to โคMinimal Resolution of Reported Harm
seoul,South Korea – A new report reveals a concerningly low rate of resolution forโค patient harm allegedly stemming from โrecent doctor walkouts and collective action. Despite nearly one thousand formal complaints filed withโค the Ministry of Health โฃand Welfare’s โคdedicated damage reporting center, a vast majority remain unresolved, leaving patients feeling unsupported and vulnerable.
Launched in February 2024 to mitigate disruptions to healthcare access – including treatment refusals, appointment cancellations, andโฃ surgery postponements – the โขcenter promised legal counsel and โintervention for those impacted. However, dataโ submitted โคto the Nationalโ Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee shows โขa stark disconnect between promise and reality.
Between February โ19, 2024, and August 31, 2025, โคthe โฃcenter received 7,866โ consultations. Of the 957 cases formally submitted for investigation and actionโค by local governments, a mere 20 – just 2.1% – were demonstrably resolved through direct intervention by the ministry or local authorities.
The overwhelmingโ majority of cases were closed without meaningful action. Aโ significant 61.4% (578 cases) were terminated after only superficial measures like โformal guidance to medical institutions or the forwarding of complaints.Another 9.8%โค (92 cases) were closed due to insufficient patient factsโ or unconfirmed details, while 9.4%โฃ (88 cases) โwere resolved independently by patients or โคthrough hospital concessions without official intervention.
Further analysis reveals โฃa pattern of limited engagement. Only 0.5% of cases (5) โขwere handledโ internally by the center’sโ legal teams, โคand 6.2% (58) wereโข referredโค to other local jurisdictions or external organizations. A substantial 10.3% (97) were deemed irrelevant to the collective โขaction by doctors.
Democratic Party Representative Kim Yun โhighlighted specific examples of โคinadequate responses. She cited a case where a critical hemodialysisโค replacement surgery for a heart patient was delayed, yet the local government’s response was limited to requesting the hospitalโ provide “pleasant medical services.” Another case involved โa month-long delay in treatment forโฃ a premature infant, met with a local government directive toโ “take action quickly.”
The geographic distributionโข ofโ complaints reveals a concentration of โharmโฃ in the metropolitan area, with Seoul accounting for 527 of the 957 reported cases, followedโค by Gyeonggi-do with 125.
“the current medical policies have created unacceptable gaps in care, โand this center, intendedโฃ to โprovide relief, has proven largely ineffective,” stated Representative Kim Yun. “Theโฃ fact that soโข many reported harmsโ remain unaddressed is deeply concerning. We must urgently assess the extent of unresolved damage and โdevelop robustโค institutionalโ safeguards to protect patients from future harm.”