SEOUL, Defense Minister Shin Won-sik on Tuesday called for active care for civilian patients at military hospitals amid an ongoing mass walkout by trainee doctors at general hospitals.

Shin made the call in his visit to a military hospital in Daejeon, 139 kilometers south of Seoul, after thousands of young doctors began the walkout on Feb. 19 in protest of a government plan to increase medical school admissions.

The emergency rooms of military hospitals nationwide opened their doors to the public in full scale the next day to allay public health concerns over emergency services.

“Going forward, the military’s medical system needs to acquire enough capabilities to protect the health and lives of not only service members but also those of the people,” Shin said at the hospital, according to his office.

As of Tuesday noon, 139 civilian patients have been treated at military hospitals, according to the ministry.

Source: Yonhap News Agency