(LEAD) PM says no penalties on junior doctors returning to work

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said Sunday that the government will not impose any penalties on junior doctors returning to work as South Korea's largest organization of doctors was considering an all-out strike against the government's medical reform. The Korea Medical Association (KMA) plans to hold a press briefing later in the day to release the result of a vote carried out last week on whether to launch a strike, including community doctors, according to medical sources. "It is deeply regrettable that some officials and organizations from the medical community are mentioning additional illegal collective action at the expense of people's lives," Han told reporters. "Such actions not only place heavy burdens on the emergency medical system but also scar society," he added. "I believe that the silent majority of doctors will not support the illegal collective action." Han said junior doctors returning to hospitals will not face any disadvantages, including administrative measures. About 12,000 trainee d octors at general hospitals have left their worksites in protest of the government's decision to raise the number of medical school seats, causing disruptions in services at major hospitals. Late last month, the government finalized the admission quota hike of some 1,500 for medical schools despite the protest, marking the first such increase in 27 years. In an apparent effort to persuade trainee doctors to return to hospitals, the government has recently allowed them to seek jobs at other medical clinics or go back to their training hospitals by withdrawing a return-to-work order and suspending administrative steps to punish them. But junior doctors were mostly seen reluctant to return to their worksites despite the gesture. Medical professors were also seen joining the move in solidarity with junior doctors, with those from four hospitals affiliated with Seoul National University voting to launch a walkout later this month, calling for the government to fully withdraw administrative steps to punish trai nee doctors. Amid slim chances of talks between the medical community and the government, pundits anticipate the country's medical services may face further disruptions if the KMA decides to stage an all-out strike, including those from local clinics. Others, however, suggest that even if the KMA initiates the walkout, local clinics are unlikely to show full support, as less than 10 percent joined the previous strike in 2020. Source: Yonhap News Agency