(2nd LD) Gov’t raises health care crisis level to ‘serious’ over doctors walkout | Yonhap News Agency

SEOUL, Feb. 23 (Yonhap) — The government raised its four-scale health care service crisis gauge to the highest level of “serious” Friday in response to the departure of doctors in their collective action against the planned increase in the medical school admission quota. In an effort to alleviate the growing strain on the medical system, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said the government will maximize the use of public medical institutions by extending their operating hours. It marks the first time that the alert related to public health has been elevated to the highest scale. “First, we will elevate the operational level of public health care institutions to the maximum,” Han said during a meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety…