"Government's Patchwork Measures" Controversy Over Residents and KMA's Full Strike

Government to Increase Medical School Quotas by 4,000 Over 10 Years
Residents Begin Total Strike Today (7th)... Korean Medical Association to Join Collective Sickout on 14th
Medical Community: "No Doctor Shortage, Equal Distribution Is Key"

On the 23rd of last month, the Korean Medical Association held an anti-increase protest in front of the National Assembly main gate during the 'Government-Party Consultation on the Plan to Expand Medical School Quotas and Establish Public Medical Schools,' holding a banner that read "The issue is not the number of personnel but the placement." Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Juhee] Medical residents opposing the government's policy to increase medical school admission quotas launched a general strike as scheduled on the 7th. Following this strike, a nationwide doctors' collective sickout is scheduled for the 14th, drawing attention to the background behind the medical community's decision to proceed with the general strike.

The medical community argues that the government's policy cannot be a fundamental solution to the medical service gaps in provincial areas. Although the general strike is planned for only two days, the 7th and 14th, there are views that new alternatives need to be sought to resolve issues in the medical field, as conflicts between the government and the medical community are expected to intensify.

Earlier, on the 23rd of last month, the government announced a plan to increase medical school admission quotas to train an additional 4,000 doctors over ten years starting from the 2022 academic year. Among these, 3,000 doctors will be required to serve obligatorily for ten years in medically underserved provincial areas to be trained as regional doctors, while the remaining personnel will be developed into specialists in special fields such as epidemiological investigators and medical science.

However, the medical community has continuously opposed the government's manpower expansion plan, arguing that it cannot fundamentally solve such problems. They claim that the issue of medical service gaps in provincial areas is not a problem of 'doctor shortage' but rather 'regional imbalance of doctors,' and that policies should encourage doctors to voluntarily work in these regions.

The Korean Medical Association (KMA) released a statement on the 23rd of last month, saying, "It is clear that the government's policy of simply increasing the number of doctors will fail," and pointed out that "fundamental measures such as restructuring the medical delivery system and establishing treatment rights to expand regional medical infrastructure must be prepared so that doctors can practice confidently in essential medical fields or regions."

On the 1st, Choi Dae-jip, President of the Korean Medical Association, and the executive members held an emergency press conference at the Korean Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to urge the abolition of the 'Four Major Evil Medical Policies' and to announce demands to the government. Photo by Yonhap News

However, the government maintains that manpower expansion is inevitable to improve medical service gaps in provincial areas and to prepare for national disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Park Neung-hoo, Minister of Health and Welfare, stated in a press release on the 6th, "Expanding medical school quotas is an unavoidable decision for the people and the nation," adding, "The core of expanding medical school quotas is to eliminate regional medical disparities and to increase doctors in special fields such as infectious diseases and medical scientists, which are difficult to increase spontaneously."

The government cites that the number of doctors in South Korea (130,000) is absolutely insufficient compared to the OECD average of 160,000. Additionally, there is a significant regional disparity, with Seoul having 3.1 doctors per 1,000 people, while Gyeongbuk has only 1.4 and Chungnam 1.5. Among 100,000 specialists, there are only 277 infectious disease specialists and fewer than 50 pediatric surgeons, indicating a severe shortage in essential medical departments.

However, the medical community points out that the government's analysis relies on selective data and is not an accurate diagnosis.

Kim Dae-ha, spokesperson for the Korean Medical Association, said in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Sisa Jaki Jung Kwan-yong' on the afternoon of the 6th, "The government keeps citing OECD statistics, but there are parts in those statistics that the government does not mention," adding, "According to 2019 data, South Korea and Japan are examples of countries where the gap between urban and rural areas is not that large compared to other countries."

Kim further noted that other countries facing similar issues, like South Korea, also proposed manpower expansion as a solution but failed to resolve the problem.

Kim said, "Countries like Italy, where the number of doctors per 1,000 people is almost twice that of ours, as well as Japan and Taiwan, which are similar to South Korea, have continued to have medically vulnerable populations and have attempted similar measures as announced by our government," adding, "Ultimately, they could not solve the regional disparity problem."

Residents opposing the government's policy to increase medical school admissions went on a full strike as scheduled on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News

Previously, Japan implemented a plan in 2007 to increase medical school quotas by more than 1,000 annually to address the shortage of regional doctors. However, due to declining birth rates and population decreases starting afterward, and with the elderly population aged 65 and over expected to peak in 2042 and then rapidly decline, concerns about an oversupply of doctors arose, leading to calls for reconsidering quota reductions.

Moreover, despite the increase in doctors, they did not apply to work in medically underserved areas, so regional maldistribution was not resolved. Consequently, Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare decided last month to reduce medical school quotas starting in 2022.

Regarding accusations that the medical community is trying to protect their own interests, Kim responded, "The current issue is not about demanding more compensation for all doctors," explaining, "The government needs to support areas designated as vulnerable, which are essential for our survival and require someone to work there, but these fields are too demanding, poorly compensated, and risky, so doctors avoid them."

Some civic groups have also expressed critical views on the government's plan. The Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ) held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Hall on the 23rd of last month, stating, "The method of increasing medical school quotas promoted by the Democratic Party and the government is a 'stopgap measure' that cannot handle the increasing demand for medical services and cannot resolve the chronic imbalance in doctor supply between regions and specialties."

The medical community emphasized that to solve the medical service gaps in provincial areas, it is necessary to accurately understand regions, specialties, and work types and to devise fundamental solutions.

In a press release on the 4th, the KMA pointed out, "This policy lacks fundamental answers to why doctors do not go to provincial areas and the causes of shortages in essential medical fields," adding, "The government chose the easy path, and in 10 to 20 years, the doctors and patients, who are the direct parties, will bear the full impact of this failed policy."

Choi Dae-jip, president of the KMA, stated in a position paper delivered to the National Assembly on the 14th of last month, "In regions with relatively fewer doctors, incentives should be provided by drastically increasing health insurance fees," emphasizing, "Policies should be developed to accurately identify resources by region, specialty, and work type and to ensure their appropriate balanced distribution."

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