ANKARA

South Korean authorities are expected to begin suspending the medical licenses of trainee doctors from next week, as the doctors' protest enters its 19th day.

The government has been sending notices to protesting doctors since Tuesday, warning them that their medical licenses will be suspended if they do not return to work, Seoul-based Yonhap News agency reported.

For the past three weeks, approximately 13,000 medical interns and residents have been absent from work.

The doctors' protests have forced hospitals to postpone surgeries and emergency medical treatment, while the South Korean military has opened its health facilities to civilians, the news agency said.

Doctors are protesting the government's plans to increase the number of medical seats to address the shortages of doctors, particularly in rural areas and critical medical fields such as high-risk surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics, and emergency medicine.

Doctors, on the other hand, argue that the government should focus on increasing compensation to encourage more physicians to practice in such unpopular areas.

South Korea has some 13,000 trainee doctors. The government wants to add 2,000 more seats to the 3,058 students who enrol each year.

To overcome the shortage, the government expanded the authorization for nurses to work in major hospital emergency rooms on Friday.

Last month, the Health Ministry launched a pilot program, to increase the medical roles of nurses to fill the vacuum in medical service, nurses were allowed to perform more medical roles under legal protection.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid