Recently, the South Korean government said it will increase the quota of medical school students. And, doctors' strikes have begun. While the government has warned that those who strike will face dire consequences, a number of doctors have started to stop working in protest of the government's policy. Doctors' voices should be carefully listened, but their reactions cannot be justified. Given the importance of the job, strikes are one of the worst ways for doctors to raise their voices. Apart from this, many experts find it difficult to understand their claims.
First, strikes holding patients hostage are immoral. Doctors argue that strikes are one of the basic rights of workers. This could prove right only to some extent. In most liberal democracies, constitutions-including South Korean one- say nothing comes first than people's lives. Doctors' right to strike is not an exception. As trainee doctors have started to stop working, patients have difficulty getting basic medical services, even in emergency rooms. Doctors in most advanced countries are fully aware of the fact that their strikes could threaten people's lives. This is the reason that doctors' strikes are very unusual in foreign countries. Doctors in the UK had once stopped working, but that was largely driven by their low salaries, unlike the recent turmoils in South Korea.
Second, as the country is now facing a rapid aging population, increasing the number of doctors is indispensable. South Korea is going to become a super aging society by 2030, which means that the quarter of its population is over 65. There's littlie doubt that demand for doctors would be high in the distant future, as the elderly need more health care services. This is not the only problem facing the country. A lack of doctors in provincial areas matters, too. Many experts point out that the concentration of population in Seoul and neighboring areas is the main culprit of the country's lowest birth rate. And medical services are not free from this. The nation's five largest hospitals are all located in Greater Seoul, which means that people should go to Seoul to get superb medical services. By contrast, residents in provincial areas find it difficult to see doctors, as most doctors try to get their jobs in Seoul. Some argue that increasing the number of doctors alone cannot solve the problem, because doctors would still want to live in Seoul in the future. Regarding this, we could draw lessons from Germany's case. Germany had the same problem with South Korea and also knew doctors would not want to live in provincial areas, even though the government had increased the quota at medical schools. However, the German government's rationale was simple : if there's enough number of doctors, there would be more doctors not only in cities, but also in provincial areas. It turned out that the German government was right. Germany has successfully increased the number of doctors and resolved the problem.
In conclusion, if the strikes continue, doctors should be blamed for possible outcomes. People's lives are under threat due to the strikes. Doctors have many ways to speak up for their interests and strikes are far from the best option. The government should do more to pursuade doctors. It should provide incentives for those who working in provincial areas and essential health care services. In doing so, patients must be protected. Both doctors and the government put emphasis on patients, not their interests.