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Busan City, Gijang County, and Pukyong National University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the establishment of the College of Radiological Medicine and Science to expand local public medical personnel on the 24th at Busan City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] An agreement ceremony to support the establishment of the College of Radiation Medical Science, which Pukyong National University is promoting in Gijang-gun, Busan, was held on the 24th.

Busan City, Gijang-gun, and Pukyong National University signed a "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the Establishment of the College of Radiation Medical Science" at Busan City Hall on the 24th to expand the local public medical workforce.

The ceremony was attended by Byun Sung-wan, Acting Mayor of Busan, Shim Jae-min, Deputy Governor of Gijang-gun, and Kim Young-seop, President of Pukyong National University, among others.

The three institutions agreed that the demand for radiation therapy is increasing due to the shortage of local public medical personnel caused by the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), the continuous increase in domestic cancer patients, and aging population.

They will actively promote the establishment of a specialized medical school for radiation medical science linked with advanced treatment and research facilities worth about 1.1 trillion KRW in the Gijang-gun Southeast Radiation Medical Science Industrial Complex, including the Southeast Regional Radiation Medical Center, the "dream cancer treatment device" heavy ion accelerator, export-oriented new research reactors, and the establishment of a fusion research base for radioactive isotopes.

The MOU includes active cooperation among Busan City, Gijang-gun, and Pukyong National University in establishing the College of Radiation Medical Science and the formation and operation of a consultative body for the successful promotion of the project.

The government is promoting a plan to increase the medical school quota, which has been capped at 3,058 since 2006, by more than 500 to expand public medical and essential medical personnel and to train physician-scientists. In this regard, the Ministry of Health and Welfare is expected to complete the "Mid- to Long-term Supply and Demand System and Comprehensive Plan for Health and Medical Personnel" project by August. Based on this, the medical school quota will be set, and the Ministry of Education is expected to proceed with the allocation of the increased quota to existing or newly established medical schools.

Busan City judges that the possibility of establishing a new medical school is high, citing that the Gijang-gun medical science complex is the optimal site to lead the development of radiation medical science in Korea; the medical school quota per 1,000 college entrance exam takers in the Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam regions is 5.5, the lowest nationwide except for Jeju; and although Busan has the highest aging rate among major cities nationwide, the number of doctors is the lowest among the five major cities at 2.23 per 1,000 people.

Pukyong National University emphasizes the advantage that it can utilize the Southeast Regional Radiation Medical Center as an affiliated hospital, making it possible to establish the medical school with a minimum project cost of 32.6 billion KRW.

Representatives of the three institutions agreed, saying, "If the College of Radiation Medical Science is newly established, it will not only train professionals but also create a world-class radiation medical science cluster through synergy effects linked with treatment and research facilities within the Southeast Radiation Medical Science Industrial Complex."

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