Korea begs doctors to stop protesting med school quota hike

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Korea begs doctors to stop protesting med school quota hike

Published: 14 Feb. 2024, 13:07 Updated: 14 Feb. 2024, 14:24

CHO JUNG-WOO
[email protected]

Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo, center, speaks in a press briefing held at Government Complex Seoul in Jongno District, downtown Seoul, on Wednesday. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday asked medical professionals to stop encouraging protests against the government’s medical school enrollment hike and called for talks with young doctors.

Last week, the government announced it would increase the medical school enrollment quota by 2,000 next year, marking the first hike since 1998.

The decision has sparked fierce backlash among doctors' groups, who have threatened general strikes if the government proceeds with the quota increase.

“Trainee doctors and medical students are the future of the country’s medical field,” Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during a press briefing held on Wednesday, adding that the government will address the conflict by initiating a dialogue with young doctors.

“The decision aims to improve the working environment for young doctors, enabling them to focus on their work," Park said.

Park said that the government's decision to increase enrollment by 2,000 may seem significant because of the country's delay in doing so.

The vice minister added that the government’s essential medical policy package, which involves investing over 10 trillion won ($7.4 billion) in essential health care, is necessary to address prevailing issues in the medical field, particularly in reviving local healthcare services.

A day earlier, Park Dan, the head of the Korea Intern Resident Association (KIDA), urged the government to drop its planned enrollment hike and the medical policy package.

“Doctors should not disregard the suffering of patients and their families who lack access to medical treatment due to a shortage of doctors in regional areas,” Park Min-soo said, arguing that scrapping the plans would halt necessary policies, such as enhancing the safety net for medical accidents and providing fair compensation for medical workers.

He encouraged proposing amendments rather than merely opposing the idea.

The vice minister also called on medical professionals and students to refrain from making malicious comments and posts online, including those directed at public officials involved in the plan. He urged them to stop spreading fake news and targeting individuals on social media.

BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]