Gov't to raise med school enrollment amid doctor shortage

Social Affairs

Published: 01 Feb. 2024, 17:58

Gov't to raise med school enrollment amid doctor shortage

President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, visits Seoul National University Bundang Hospital’s smart simulation center for clinical training after presiding over a public livelihood debate on medical reform at the hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Thursday. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged his support to increase the number of medical professionals at a town hall meeting on medical reforms Thursday.

The government said it will increase the medical school enrollment quota starting from next year, considering an expected shortage of some 15,000 doctors by 2035. This plan has been contentious, with doctors' groups fiercely opposed to an increase in med school admissions.

"It is important to secure sufficient medical personnel," Yoon said as he presided over the eighth public livelihood debate, pointing to the rapid increase in the elderly population and rising demand for health care.

"An expansion of medical personnel is necessary to preserve local and essential medical services," Yoon said. "We will support the increase of medical personnel by supporting a high-quality medical education and training environment."

The latest town hall meeting in a series of public debates on various social issues covered medical policies and was held at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, involving some 60 people, including patients, doctors, nurses, hospital directors, and experts.

In his opening remarks, Yoon said more than 10 trillion ($7.5 billion) of health insurance will be invested in essential medical care by 2028.

Yoon promised to increase support for unpopular essential medical fields pushed to the brink and acknowledged patients' difficulties in finding pediatric hospitals and available emergency rooms.

Yoon further promised to strengthen compensation for victims of medical accidents, but to reduce the legal burden on medical professionals.

"There are many complaints and accusations against medical personnel, but in reality, there are very few cases where doctors are judged to have committed intentional or gross negligence," Yoon said, calling to "completely revamp the system so that doctors can treat patients to the best of their ability and victims are fully covered."

He also promised a fair compensation system for medical personnel, acknowledging that medical staff who provide risky treatments and essential workers who must be on standby at all times should be fairly paid for their efforts.

Yoon highlighted that good hospitals and education systems are essential for balanced regional development.

"It would be a shame to call ourselves an advanced country if you can't receive proper medical services just because you live in a rural area," Yoon said. "It's very unfortunate that even though our country has some of the world's best medical staff and one of the best health insurance systems, there are concerns about the collapse of the medical system."

President Yoon Suk Yeol, right, listens to a doctor speak as he presides over a town hall meeting on medical reform at the Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Thursday, the eighth in a series of public livelihood debates held since the beginning of the year. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong introduced four essential medical policies on Thursday: expanding medical personnel, strengthening local medical care, establishing a safety net for medical accidents, and improving fairness in compensation systems.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that to respond to the looming shortage of doctors, the government plans to immediately expand the number of medical school admissions from the 2025 academic year.

However, related expert committees will deliberate the exact numbers.

The government also plans to expand the "regional talent pool," which enables the selection of at least 40 percent of medical school spots in regions outside of Greater Seoul from regional areas. This measure is meant to secure a stable local medical workforce.

To strengthen regional medical care, a long-term contract system will be introduced to enable doctors in essential medical fields to receive incentives, including housing, for a certain period after graduation if they work in provincial areas.

The government has been seeking to gradually expand the medical school quota, which has been capped at 3,058 since 2006, by at least 1,000 students annually to address the shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas.

As the Health Ministry expressed its intention to resolve the doctor shortage within a decade, the enrollment quota expansion could be more significant than initially expected, possibly up to 2,000 students.

Considering that it takes around 10 years for a person to undergo the medical school and residency process to become a doctor, an immediate increase in enrollment is needed to meet the physician shortage expected by 2035.

"Now is the golden time to pursue medical reform," Yoon said at the debate. "If the medical reform desired by the majority of the people is retracted due to opposition or resistance by some, it is tantamount to abandoning the essential role of the state. We will pursue reforms without hesitation, looking only at the people and the future."

He said a special presidential committee on medical reform will be established soon.

"We believe that we must increase the number of [medical] students now with a solemn determination that if we fail this time, there will be no Republic of Korea," Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said. "Each university has already considered all factors such as personnel, equipment, and classrooms, and the demand has also been confirmed."

Yoon later visited the "SMART Simulation Center," which opened at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital in January 2023 as a facility for clinical education, such as surgery and intensive care management, replicating the hospital's facilities and equipment.

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