The standoff between the government and doctors is feared to worsen this week as the government plans to suspend the licenses of trainee doctors defying the return-to-work order and medical professors plan to tender mass resignations starting Monday.

Monday is the deadline for trainee doctors notified of the government’s return-to-work order to submit their opinions on the notice. If they miss the deadline, their medical licenses can be suspended from Tuesday.

The government, however, said on Friday that if trainee doctors express their intent to return and continue to practice medicine, the government will take that into consideration when deciding a punishment.

Meanwhile, medical school professors plan to tender their resignations on Monday to urge the government to withdraw its plan to suspend the medical licenses of striking trainee doctors and to reconsider its plan to increase the medical school admissions quota.

Medical professors, however, will not immediately leave their hospitals after submitting their resignations but have decided to reduce their work hours to 52 hours a week.