A medical worker walks out of an emergency room at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Many hospitals have curtailed their emergency services amid continuing shortages of physicians following a collective walkout by trainee doctors in February. Newsis

At around 8:10 p.m. on Wednesday, an ambulance was parked just outside the emergency room of Gangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul. A woman inside the ambulance was waiting for other patients to be discharged so she could secure a bed for treatment.

"It has been more than an hour since we started waiting," an emergency medical technician who transported her from Cheongju, about 120 km south of the capital, told The Korea Times. "When I received the call, I knew that hospitals near Cheongju wouldn't accept my patient due to her condition and the current limitations on daylight operations. So I came straight here, as this hospital seemed to offer the best chance for emergency services."

The general hospital had only one doctor available in the emergency room that evening.

At Hanyang University Medical Center, another general hospital in eastern Seoul, a patient surnamed Cho was advised by emergency medical workers to return in the morning when she visited to seek treatment for burns on her left hand and arm.

"They said there was nothing they could do now, offering to just cover the area with a piece of gauze over the risk of tetanus," she said.

Since more than 10,000 trainee doctors across the country went on strike in February to protest the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas, hospitals nationwide have reduced their emergency services due to a shortage of physicians.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has repeatedly stated that disruptions from the collective protest would be manageable. However, observations by The Korea Times indicate that hospitals are experiencing significant pressure.

A security guard is seen at an emergency room of Gangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho

Hospitals designated by authorities to handle emergency cases during night hours, such as Gangbuk Samsung Hospital and Hanyang University Medical Center, continue to accept patients. However, compared to the situation before the protest, patients are now more likely to be advised to visit other hospitals or wait for a bed. This is due to factors such as less severe injuries or the inability of understaffed hospitals to provide prompt care, according to patients.

So far, four hospitals — Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital in Seoul, Konkuk University Chungju Hospital, Chungnam National University Hospital in Sejong, and Kangwon National University Hospital in Chuncheon — have decided to shorten their emergency room hours due to staff shortages. Approximately 20 other hospitals are also facing mounting pressure to do the same.

With no signs of the trainee doctors returning anytime soon, concerns are growing about a potential crisis leading up to the weeklong Chuseok holiday, when hospitals will operate with even fewer staff than usual.

Recognizing the public's concerns, President Yoon Suk Yeol visited an emergency room at a hospital in Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday night to support and encourage the medical staff.

That same night, Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, also visited Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul, where he criticized the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas, calling it too rushed and unilateral.

To support hospitals struggling with emergency care, the government has decided to deploy approximately 250 doctors from the military and public health facilities.

In response to concerns about hospital operations during the upcoming holiday, beginning on Sept. 14, the government will work with local officials to establish monitoring centers. These centers will oversee the situation and appoint an official-in-charge for each emergency facility.

Health ministry officials noted that staff shortages in emergency services have been a problem long before the junior doctors' protest. Addressing these issues is a key component of the medical reform efforts they have been promoting over the past seven months.

"Fundamentally improving this system is one of the reasons for the government to push for medical reforms," Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Thursday's meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. "The government will make every effort to address the difficulties related to emergency care, working closely with local governments and medical institutions to ensure that the public does not face undue anxiety."