The Korean Medical Association(KMA) on Monday began voting on a general strike in protest of the government’s push to increase the enrollment quota for medical students in the nation

The association will survey its roughly 140-thousand members through Sunday on whether it should pursue a walkout.

The vote comes after the association expressed regret over the government’s announcement of survey results favoring a hike in the medical school enrollment quota and after the creation of a special committee on blocking the collapse of the nation’s medical service.

The KMA, which staged an overnight protest in front of the presidential office in Yongsan last Wednesday, is set to hold a rally in downtown Seoul on Sunday after the vote on collective action concludes.

Meanwhile, the health ministry convened a meeting chaired by its minister on Sunday and decided to issue the lowest "attention" level on the four-tier medical and health care disaster crisis alert.

The level focuses on reviewing preparations for a walkout or a suspension of services by health and welfare-related organizations as well as establishing systems of cooperation with related agencies.