Assemblyman Seodongyong Proposes First Bill to Establish Suncheon National University College of Medicine

Rebuilding the National Public Healthcare System and Strengthening Regional Public Healthcare After COVID-19
Addressing Public Healthcare Imbalances Between Regions

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] Seo Dong-yong, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gokseong, Gurye (Eul)), announced on the 19th that he has proposed two bills as his first legislative proposals: the 「Special Act on Public Health Scholarships (Complete Amendment)」 aimed at establishing a medical school at Suncheon National University and strengthening regional public healthcare, and the 「Act on the Establishment and Operation of National University (Corporation) Hospitals and National University (Corporation) Dental Hospitals」.

The 「Special Act on Public Health Scholarships (Complete Amendment)」 completely revises the current 「Special Act on Public Health Scholarships」 into the 「Act on the Training and Support of Public Healthcare Personnel」. It aims for ‘the Minister of Health and Welfare to establish a public healthcare personnel training medical school at one university per city/province or designate a national university’s medical school as a public healthcare personnel training medical school to cultivate medical personnel who will work long-term in public healthcare services such as in medically underserved areas, thereby maintaining and developing the public healthcare system and improving the quality of public healthcare services.’

If this law passes, it will mandate the establishment of a public healthcare personnel training medical school at one university per city/province. In the case of Jeollanam-do, which currently has no medical school, the government will be obligated to establish a medical school dedicated to training public healthcare personnel. This will provide the legal basis for establishing a medical school at Suncheon National University.

According to Seo Dong-yong’s office, the number of public health doctors assigned to public health centers and branch health centers, which play a significant role in the local medical system, decreased from 4,045 in 2012 to 3,507 as of May 2020, worsening regional medical disparities. Although there is a scholarship system that supports medical students with scholarships in exchange for working in public healthcare for a certain period, its effectiveness is limited, with only 8 selected in 2019 and 14 supported in 2020. Therefore, the purpose of the complete revision of the law is to have the state train separate public healthcare personnel at national medical schools.

In fact, Jeollanam-do, which has no medical schools, scored 56.7 points on the regional health vulnerability index in the 2016 “Regional Health Vulnerable Areas Report by City/Province” published by the Korea Health Promotion Institute. This index considers population density, number of islands and remote areas, sewage coverage rate, proportion of elderly population over 65, proportion of basic livelihood security recipients, proportion of registered severely disabled persons, number of primary care physicians per population, and standardized mortality rate. This score is higher than Seoul’s 39.7 points, indicating severe healthcare imbalance.

The concurrently proposed 「Act on the Establishment and Operation of National University (Corporation) Hospitals and National University (Corporation) Dental Hospitals」 consolidates four existing laws related to national university hospitals ? the 「Seoul National University Hospital Establishment Act」, the 「National University Hospital Establishment Act」, the 「Seoul National University Dental Hospital Establishment Act」, and the 「National University Dental Hospital Establishment Act」 ? into one unified law. It also transfers jurisdiction over national university hospitals from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Health and Welfare to strengthen their role as public healthcare institutions and contribute to improving public health.

The transfer of jurisdiction over national university hospitals was once attempted in 2005 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration as part of the “Comprehensive Measures for Expanding Public Healthcare” and the “Sustainable Healthcare System Establishment and Public Healthcare Expansion Comprehensive Measures,” but it was not realized.

However, despite the state’s significant investment in establishing national university hospitals, criticisms have been continuously raised that their role was insufficient during national disasters such as the 2015 MERS outbreak, and that they have been passive in providing public healthcare services, including their relatively low participation in operating trauma and emergency centers, which are less profitable. Furthermore, although Korea’s K-quarantine was successful during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the public healthcare system was pointed out as vulnerable.

Therefore, given the rapid demographic changes due to low birth rates and aging population and the constant threat of emerging infectious diseases, there is a need to redefine the role of medical institutions, especially public healthcare institutions, and reconsider the transfer of jurisdiction.

Seo Dong-yong stated, “There is a growing demand to redesign Korea’s public healthcare system completely differently in response to COVID-19,” adding, “The establishment of a medical school at Suncheon National University is directly linked to solving regional medical disparities in Korea and building a new system to train the insufficient public healthcare workforce, beyond being a long-standing regional project.” He also expressed his determination, saying, “As this is the first bill I have proposed as a member of the 21st National Assembly, I will do my best to ensure it passes as soon as possible.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.