There is a debate surrounding whether efforts to make the medical field more accessible are driven by concerns for quality of care or by doctors’ own prestige. Many countries are dealing with a shortage of qualified doctors, prompting them to take steps to increase accessibility to medical qualifications.
However, these efforts have faced criticism from doctors, particularly younger junior doctors, who feel that the value of their lengthy and expensive medical degrees is being undermined. Some have even gone as far as to go on strike, leading to serious consequences such as patient deaths in South Korea.
Presenter Myriam Francois discusses this issue with guests Dr Habib Rahman, a cardiology registrar, Dr David Bhimji Atellah, the secretary-general of KMPDU, and Dr Alice Tan, an internal medicine specialist.