Severe Health Alert in South Korea: Doctors' Protests Force Hospitals to Turn Away Patients

A three-day mass walkout by approximately 8,400 trainee doctors in South Korea has led to all but one of the country's largest hospitals declaring a red alert status. This means that emergency departments at these hospitals are either at full capacity or running out of beds. The doctors are protesting against the government's plans to increase medical school admissions in order to strengthen the healthcare sector. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has announced that the operation of public medical institutions will be raised to the maximum level in response to this situation. Two articles report that emergency departments at South Korea's biggest hospitals are being squeezed, with one hospital only handling cardiac arrest cases and the other four also on red alert.