Doctors slam gov't plan to expand medical school enrollment

Social Affairs

Published: 18 Oct. 2023, 16:31 Updated: 18 Oct. 2023, 18:17

Doctors slam gov't plan to expand medical school enrollment

Members of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) declare that they will take “strong action” if the government pursues a policy to expand medical school enrollment quota to address doctor shortages in the country after holding an emergency meeting in Yongsan District, central Seoul, Tuesday evening. The KMA threatened to hold a large-scale strike if the government follows through with the plan, and members hold up signs reading that if the quota is increased, “the medical system will collapse.” [YONHAP]

Doctors are fiercely protesting the government's imminent plan to drastically increase the enrollment quotas of medical schools to increase physician access across the country.

The plan to enlarge quotas is gaining public support and is a priority political issue, particularly for the governing People Power Party (PPP), as it is meant to address the issue of a chronic shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas and in less popular fields such as obstetricians, cardiologists and pediatricians.

The Yoon Suk Yeol government has been mulling raising the annual enrollment quota for medical schools by more than 1,000 students from the current 3,058 to resolve such concerns.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyoo-hong said that Korea couldn't postpone the medical school enrollment quota increase due to the shortage of doctors in a fifth round of meetings with experts on healthcare policy on Tuesday.

Cho addressed issues related to doctor shortages, including patients having difficulty finding emergency rooms and long waits for pediatric physicians, and said that the quota increase "can't be put off any longer."

In turn, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) warned that it would take "strong action," including holding a large-scale general strike involving doctors and students if the government unilaterally pursues a policy to expand medical school admissions without proper consultations.

"If the government unilaterally announces a plan to increase the medical student quota, 140,000 doctors and 20,000 medical students will engage in a strong action using all available means," Lee Pil-soo, the KMA chairman, said Tuesday evening.

The KMA convened an emergency meeting of members of the medical field, including doctors, residents and interns, to address their concerns over the medical student quota increase and warned that they could hold an even larger strike than their 2020 walkout.

In 2020, the KMA staged a strike amid the preceding liberal Moon Jae-in administration's push to increase the medical school enrollment quota by 400 annually for 10 years and open a new public medical school. This plan was scrapped as it came during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tuesday's in-person and virtual meeting involved 81 people, including the chairs of 16 municipal and provincial medical associations across the country under the KMA and the heads of related groups like the Korean Intern Resident Association, Korean Association of Public Health Doctors and Korean Medical Practitioners Association.

The KMA adopted a resolution following the meeting that demanded that the government "keep its promise in 2020 not to enforce a medical school enrollment quota policy unilaterally."

It warned that if the government ignores the medical community's warnings, "140,000 doctors will be willing to fight no matter what."

Lee said the "medical community is currently in an imminent crisis," pointing to a collapse in essential and local medical care. He called for "fundamental measures" rather than the government's plan to increase medical school enrollment quotas.

He added that doctors have a consultative body discussing the same issues ready to converse with the government.

The Health Ministry said it has conducted 14 talks with the KMA, but the talks have yet to produce results.

The ministry said studies estimate there will be a shortage of more than 10,000 doctors in 10 years.

More and more patients can't find open beds or available doctors at hospitals' emergency rooms, and parents are struggling to find available pedestrians for their sick children.

Last Sunday, senior PPP politicians, the government and the presidential office held a policy meeting to discuss the polarizing issue.

The government had planned to announce the medical school enrollment quota increase this week but reportedly postponed the plan to listen to broader opinions. However, the ultimate goal to dramatically increase the number of medical school students is expected to be maintained.

The current quota has remained stagnant for 19 years, with enrollment frozen at 3,058 since 2006. The new policy, if passed, could take effect from 2025.

According to data from the Health Ministry received on Wednesday by PPP Rep. Lee Jong-seong, a first-term lawmaker of the parliamentary Health and Welfare Committee, the number of full-time faculty members at medical schools nationwide last year was 11,502, compared to 18,348 students.

Consequently, one full-time medical professor was responsible for 1.6 students on average.

Lee said this ratio is comparable to "private tutoring levels," calling for "an increase in the number of students at medical schools to utilize the educational resources of medical schools efficiently."

In the case of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine, there were 650 full-time faculty members, more than double the 240 students, according to this data.

The liberal Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday said it conditionally endorses the plan to increase the medical student quota in a rare sign of bipartisan agreement with the PPP, though it has been calling on the government to include establishing public and regional medical schools in its medical reform plans.

Hong Ihk-pyo, DP's floor leader, said at his party's supreme council meeting Wednesday that doctor shortage issues can't be solved by increasing medical school students alone, urging for more substantial policies.

"The government's plan to expand the number of medical school students must include the establishment of public medical schools and regional medical schools to expand essential public and regional medical infrastructure and introduce a regional doctor system," Hong said.

He raised concern that otherwise, the high concentration of doctors in the Seoul metropolitan area would not be resolved.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]