The government said it has secured evidence that more than seven-thousand trainee doctors have not returned to work, and has said that stern action, such as the suspension of their medical licenses, will be taken. 

Vice minister for disaster and safety management Yi Han-kyung made the remarks on Tuesday, while presiding over a government meeting in response to doctors’ collective action.

Yi said that since Monday, the government has been conducting on-site inspections of teaching hospitals to identify the trainee doctors disobeying its return-to-work order and has secured related evidence for some seven-thousand doctors. He added that the government plans to take action in accordance with the law. 

The vice minister said that a doctor’s white coat is a symbol of life and hope for patients, and the government will properly compensate medical staff who work hard, but will hold accountable doctors who throw out their white coats and abandon their patients.

Expressing deep regret that many trainee doctors have yet to abandon their collective action, Yi stressed that freedom always comes with responsibility and the government will take strict action against trainee doctors who have failed to fulfill their responsibilities as medical professionals. 

The vice minister also vowed to secure personnel who can fill the medical vacuum and to provide enhanced administrative and financial support to minimize confusion at hospitals.