A wise approach needed to lift the quota

The rivaling parties have reached a rare agreement on backing the government plan to increase the enrollment quota for medical schools. Governing People Power Party floor leader Yun Jae-ok accentuated the need to raise the figure to defend the health rights of the public for now and in the future.

Democratic Party floor leader Hong Ihk-pyo agreed that the increase in the quota can no longer be delayed to prevent the collapse in essential medical fields and ease the disparity in medical service in non-capital regions. He urged the government and the ruling party not to backtrack on the drive in the face of opposition from interest groups and push for an increase in the quota.

The fact that the ever-bickering parties have come to rare bipartisan support for the idea suggests the urgent need to increase the number of medical professionals. Three years ago, the former government attempted to lift the quota but had to give up to avoid upsetting the medical community during the Covid-19 pandemic. The government and political circles must join forces to persuade the medical community to elevate the quota this time.

Polls show that the idea has support from a majority of the people. In a survey by Next Research at the request of the Maeil Business Newspaper, a whopping 71.1 percent of the respondents approved of a quota increase in medical schools. In another poll conducted by the Korean Health and Medical Workers’ Union in March, the approval rate reached 66.7 percent.

However, the Korean Medical Association held an emergency meeting to declare an “all-out protest” against the plan. The doctors’ interest group argues that the current quota is enough to sustain the number of doctors above the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries over the long term.

But its argument lacks persuasiveness. The number of doctors for every 1,000 people will go up due to our low birth and fast aging, but the demand for medical care will also increase due to the surge in the older adult population. The medical community must not stick to its vested rights and instead actively engage in dialogue with the government to discuss the level of increase. A drastic move such as a strike, which can jeopardize public health, must be avoided at all cost.

Although the basic plan for increasing the quota should not waver, the specific action plan needs fine-tuning. The idea of establishing a public medical school requires deeper contemplation. Korea must find wise ways to restore the essential medical field and fill the vacuum in medical service in rural areas. Stakeholders must not forget that increasing the number of doctors alone cannot solve the shortage of doctors in essential fields and provincial areas.