South Korea emergency units turn back patients as doctors protest

A patient is wheeled at Pusan National University Hospital in Busan, South Korea, February 21, 2024. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korea's biggest hospitals cancelled procedures and turned away patients seeking emergency care on Wednesday after thousands of trainee doctors walked off the job in protest at a government plan to boost medical school admissions.

One hospital, the Asan Medical Center in Seoul, put up a sign saying its emergency unit was only handling cardiac arrest cases. The emergency departments at the other four hospitals were also on "red alert", according to a government bulletin, meaning they were running out of beds.