The health ministry on Friday ordered 221 training hospitals to ban mass leave and maintain essential medical personnel, as trainee doctors decided to submit their letters of collective resignations in protest of a plan to boost the number of medical students.

The order came hours after trainee doctors of five major general hospitals in Seoul decided to submit their letters of resignation en masse Monday, in a move certain to intensify their strike threat over the plan.

Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters that the government will "protect the lives and health of the people by mobilizing all necessary resources."

"The government will unwaveringly accomplish medical reform," Park said, reaffirming the government's pledge to take stern measures against any collective action by doctors that threatens the safety of patients.

The trainee doctors at the five hospitals also decided to walk off the job at 6 a.m. next Tuesday, according to their association.

Doctors have warned of a massive strike and other responses in opposition to the government's decision announced last week to add 2,000 to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year, marking a sharp rise from the current 3,058 seats.

The five hospitals are Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital.

More than 150 doctors from seven other hospitals, including Wonkwang University Hospital, Gachon University Gil Medical Center and Korea University Guro Hospital, had also submitted letters of resignation as of Thursday midnight, according to the ministry.

nyway@yna.co.kr

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