Fair demand

The dispute between South Korean trainee doctors and the government should be resolved in the best interest of their country (“S.Korean doctors strike over plan to boost medical student numbers, Aug. 7, Gulf Today website).

In difficult times of the coronavirus pandemic the role of doctors is so important, as the doctors are frontline fighters against the coronavirus.

The news of South Korean trainee doctors on strike is shocking because it will hit the poor patients of coronavirus.

Young doctors are opposing the government plan to boost the number of medical students in the country, arguing it would be a poor use of additional funding for the sector.

The student doctors, however, said extra funding would be better spent improving the salaries of existing trainees, which would encourage them to move out of Seoul to rural areas where more professionals are needed.

The trainee doctors should adopt other options to negotiate their demands with the government than go on a strike.

The government of South Korea should address the legal demands of trainee doctors.

I hope in future South Korean trainee doctors will choose the right way to negotiate their demands with the government.

Zakir Saleem — By email