Medical professors at major hospitals nationwide will take a day off each week amid the protracted standoff between the government and doctors’ groups over the plan to increase the medical school admissions quota. 

According to the medical community, major hospitals in the country, including Seoul National University Hospital and Asan Medical Center, two of the so-called “Big Five” hospitals in the capital region, decided to take a day off each week starting next week. 

The emergency committee of professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine made the decision in a general meeting on Tuesday, saying that they will take a day off once a week from Tuesday. Professors at Asan Medical Center plan to take a day off each week starting next Friday. 

Chungnam National University Hospital decided not to provide services for outpatients on Fridays starting this week. 

The professors at these hospitals will suspend all surgeries and treatments for outpatients once a week, but will continue to treat seriously ill patients and perform emergency surgeries. 

The emergency committee of the Medical Professors Association of Korea, a coalition of professors from medical schools, said on Tuesday that medical professors, who tendered their resignations last month, will resign from Thursday as planned.

After an emergency meeting, the committee said that the professors will take a day off next week, adding that the decision of whether or not to take a day off every week will be discussed at another general meeting.