Medical professors at Yonsei University, affiliated with Severance Hospital, one of the "Big Five" general hospitals in Seoul, will be given the option to suspend outpatient consultations and surgeries next Tuesday and take one day off each week starting May.

An emergency committee representing the professors said the decision was reached on Wednesday to allow professors to physically and mentally recover from working extended hours amid the prolonged medical vacuum.

It said the professors will take a day off each week through late May but suggested that the situation could change if the government reconsiders its position on medical reforms and there are developments in trainee doctors’ prolonged collective action.

The committee added that the majority of the professors had tendered their resignations on March 25, and they are set to take effect from Thursday.

Earlier, professors at Seoul National University(SNU) decided to halt patient consultations except for emergency and critical patients next Tuesday, while those at Asan Medical Center will take a day off each week starting May 3.