Eight out of ten female residents are concerned about career interruptions due to childbirth and childcare, a survey revealed on the 4th. The Korea Association of Resident Doctors (KARD) announced the results of a survey conducted on approximately 2,000 female residents who resigned since February of last year during a policy seminar at the National Assembly.
In the survey, 74.5% agreed with the statement 'I believe that it is impossible to raise children during training.' The response indicating 'I am afraid of career interruptions due to childbirth and childcare' was 84.4%. The response indicating 'Institutional protection is needed when I suspend and then resume training due to pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare' was 94.1%.
Residents undergo 4 to 5 years of training in a hospital after graduating from medical school and obtaining their medical licenses to become specialists. The standard guidelines for resident training specify that when a resident gives birth, they can take 90 days of maternity leave (120 days for multiple births). There is no mention of parental leave.
Kim Eun-sik, the chairperson of KARD, noted, 'There is no proper leave system in place when one needs to suspend training due to pregnancy, childbirth, childcare, illness, or military service, leaving them with no choice but to resign.' He added, 'Hospitals invest hundreds of millions of won annually to train a single resident into a specialist,' stressing the need for legal provisions regarding childcare and military leave to allow residents to return to their original positions and continue their training.
Earlier, KARD demanded improvements in the training environment and assurances of continuity as conditions for returning. They requested that individuals who enter the military mid-training be allowed to resume training at their original hospitals and departments after discharge. The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to discuss these matters at the third Training Liaison Committee meeting on the 7th, with a policy to allow resigning residents to return to their hospitals from September.