By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter

A growing number of patients experience inconvenience as workers of major private and national hospitals throughout the nation walked out for five days in a row.

Hospital staff, as well as patients and their families, expressed mounting concerns about the potential disruption of the nation’s medical services as the striking workers have shown no sign of willingness to compromise with their employers.

Although the unionized workers stopped the sit-in rallies at five hospitals on Monday afternoon, they announced they will step up their struggle unless the management accept their demand for pay hikes and better working conditions by 6 p.m. on Tuesday.

Some 4,800 workers in 50 hospitals were estimated to take part in the collective action as of yesterday morning, according to Labor Ministry. They held a rally in Kwanghwamun at 2:30 p.m.

However, an additional 10,000 union members from all throughout the nation arrived in Seoul in the evening to join the demonstrators.

The union has allocated a minimum number of workforces for essential medical treatment, but the workforces and non-unionized workers are fatigued from working overtime.

At Korea University Medical Center, some inpatients have left the hospital voluntarily due to postponed operation schedules. Pediatrics of the hospital, where two nurses are working in two shifts, only 15 children remain in beds while the department has the capacity for 43.

``We need many nurses in pediatrics, but we are not admitting inpatients due to the shortage of workers. I haven’t returned home for four days since the strike,’’ Oh Myong-ok, a nurse in the hospital, said.

The medical center, which usually has 50 operations per day, had only 10 operation schedules yesterday. Outpatients also had to wait at reception desks for long periods of time as patients visit hospitals mostly on Mondays.

About 5,200 outpatients reserved medical treatment at Seoul National University Hospital, which usually has 6,000 reserved patients on Mondays. Some 77 percent of wards are occupied, while the average occupation ratio is 89 percent.

The union workers and the management have failed to reach agreement on a pay increase and a five-day workweek system.

The taxi drivers’ union also decided to go on a strike after having a vote on the issue. Some 78 percent of the voters cast for the strikes during a ballot held until Saturday.

They will stage demonstrations from Wednesday 4 a.m. to call for higher wages and better working conditions.

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr