Lifting the medical school quota welcomed

The government is pushing to raise the medical school enrollment quota by about 1,000. It will announce details of the expansion, method and annual changes later this week. The increased quota will be available from 2025. The medical school quota was capped at 3,058 in 2006.

Korea will become a superaged society by 2025, with the number of people aged 65 or older making up more than 20 percent of the population. The increase in the older adult population will also bring about a spike in common chronic illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, as well as diseases related to age, such as brain and heart disorders. The rise in the number of patients requires more medical professionals like doctors and nurses. According to the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Korea could be short of 27,232 doctors by 2035. The medical school quota should be increased to meet the demand.

The former government under President Moon Jae-in proposed to raise the quota by 4,000 in the span of 10 years. In reaction, senior students at medical schools refused to take the state exam for a doctor’s license, and resident doctors also declared a strike to protest the move. The government folded the plan as it could not afford a conflict with the medical community when its devotion was crucial amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

As the Covid-19 threat has waned, increasing the number of medical students can no longer be delayed due to the fast aging of our society. The medical community claims that the increase in doctors is not necessary thanks to higher access to medical services in Korea compared with other countries. However, the number of doctors is falling far below the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average. There is no guarantee that current accessibility to medical services can be sustained in the future.

Doctors are critically short in crucial divisions and local areas. Patients must tour emergency rooms because hospitals lack ER doctors, and parents must line up for many hours to see pediatricians due to a shortage of pediatricians. The problems won’t be solved simply by increasing the quota. The approach to medical service must change in order to increase the number of doctors in essential, high-skilled and high-risk departments and rural areas.

Public health rights must be the guidance for the policy. Instead of outright opposing the increase in the quota, all related people must work to find a reasonable solution. The government must communicate with the medical community to lessen unwanted side effects. The increase in the quota for medical schools, which are highly preferred by top-class students, could deepen the bias toward medical schools. Given the sensitivity of the college entrance issue, the government must come up with various supplementary measures to minimize the potential negative effects.