Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong discloses the admissions quota for medical schools for 2027 through 2031 at Government Complex Seoul, Tuesday. Yonhap
Following the crisis that emerged from disagreements between the government and doctors under the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration, a new goal to increase the quota for medical students has been set. Increasing annually from 2027 to 2031, the expansion will add 3,342 more seats in total.
There is a caveat here: The new seats for medical students will be allotted to 32 medical schools outside of Seoul, part of a program that links government support for tuition, settlement and training of regional medical students to a requirement for those new doctors to work in regional public health systems for up to ten years after they complete their training.
Having experienced medical crises in both 2020 and 2024, the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee which falls under theMinistry of Health and Welfare followed due process to increase transparency in the latest plan to train more doctors in regional areas. The quota increase estimates were based on deliberations by a panel of 15 health care experts. By designating the expansion quota for 32 regional medical schools, authorities are seemingly attempting to dispel potential opposition from doctors in Seoul. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, 28 percent of roughly 166,000 doctors in 2023 were concentrated in the capital region.
Doctors have expressed "regret"over the plan.
A major point on which the government and the doctors disagree is the estimated shortage of doctors, tallied at 11,000 in 2024 by the deliberation panel. Doctors question whether the plan is effectively just an expansion of the medical school quota posturing as a strengthening medical services in remote areas. When residents walked out of their jobs in 2024, doctors asked for a better training environment, especially in larger hospitals, and a more realistic pricing of medical services, among other things. These specific issues have yet to be addressed.
The government plan rests on newly passed legislation to produce and place more doctors in remote regions. It aligns with President Lee Jae Myung's plan to bring balanced development across regions, with the government ensuring that essential care is accessible even in remote areas. This had also been prioritized by previous administrations without much luck.
As Korean society ages rapidly, with around one-fifth of its population living in the Seoul metropolitan area, policymakers and doctors working in provincial areas have called for measures to ensure a steady supply of medical workers. In parallel, skeptics have pointed out how medical students have increasingly chosen to enter fields such as dermatology over more essential practices such as pediatrics and emergency care.
In this critical realm, which invariably is about saving lives, authorities and doctors must compromise to meet the new enrollment quota. Doctors should not be reflexive in their opposition, drawing from past medical crises that tilted in their favor. Wisdom says that we must learn from the past; doctors should decide which lesson they will embrace this time. It is hard to deny the disruption that resulted from the yearlong walkout in 2024, felt both in Seoul and even more deeply in regions outside the capital.
The angst of that medical crisis is still raw in the public's collective memory, unnerving the nation with the possibility of yet another catastrophe. Policymakers must ensure their new enrollment quota stays true to the goal of expanding regional medical support and establish strong post-medical school training infrastructure in areas far from Seoul. Detailed measures to address the doctors' demands must also be drawn up so that people can continue to receive treatment without disruption, wherever they reside.
Source: Korea Times News
