Controversy Rekindled... The Economic, Social and Labor Council Says Medical School Quotas Should Increase Starting 2022

Announcement of Recommendation by Public Interest Committee Member of the Health and Medical Services Subcommittee of the Economic and Social Development Commission
"Number of Nurses Should Reach OECD Average by 2030"
"Social Grand Bargaining Must Resume, Efforts to Enact and Amend Laws Should Begin"

Asia Economy DB=Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The Economic, Social and Labor Council, a presidential advisory social dialogue body, has recommended "increasing medical school admission quotas starting from 2022." The goal is to reach the OECD average of 3.5 doctors per 1,000 people by 2040. Previously, the ruling party and government announced a similar plan to expand medical school quotas but faced opposition from the medical community, causing the plan to collapse.

On the 27th, the public interest members of the Health and Medical Committee under the Economic, Social and Labor Council released a "Recommendation for Guaranteeing the People's Right to Health and Establishing a Sustainable Healthcare System." The recommendation included ▲ training, placement, and utilization of healthcare personnel ▲ creating a labor-friendly working environment ▲ providing appropriate compensation for healthcare workers.

They expressed the position that medical school admission quotas should be increased starting in 2022 to address the shortage of doctors. The current number of clinical doctors is 2.4 per 1,000 people, and the target is to reach the OECD average of 3.5 (based on 2018 data) by 2040.

The public interest members requested, "The government should establish and implement an annual increase plan for expanding admissions to medical schools and medical graduate schools through inter-ministerial consultations, and labor and management should cooperate in training and placement of personnel."

They also expressed the opinion that nursing college admission quotas should be expanded starting in 2022. The current number of clinical nurses is 3.8 per 1,000 people, and it should reach at least the OECD average of 7.0 by 2030.

Through the recommendation, the public interest members appealed, "We urge labor, management, and government to re-engage in a social grand compromise to expand healthcare personnel," and requested, "Please start efforts as soon as possible to enact and revise laws related to healthcare personnel and improve personnel policies."

Economic, Social and Labor Council

They also stated that to implement a collaborative system for healthcare personnel, a discussion body involving labor, management, government, experts, and civic groups should be formed.

Based on the results of discussions on the collaborative system through social consensus, they proposed that the government ensure institutional improvements and policy implementation in 2023, and that legislative amendments be handled by the 21st National Assembly.

The need to improve the long working hours culture and shift work system in the healthcare sector was also mentioned. In particular, they emphasized the need to start discussions on revising the special provisions in the Labor Standards Act that allow overtime work exceeding 12 hours per week.

They also suggested revising and supplementing night work guidelines to raise the regulation level and protection for night shift workers. The introduction of a "maternity quota system," which secures separate personnel quotas for absences due to pregnancy, childbirth, and caregiving, was also proposed.

Additionally, they requested the establishment of related systems so that health insurance fees can be used for wage increases and improvements in working conditions, and the creation of a fair wage system to realize "equal pay for equal work."

This recommendation was proposed by Chairperson Kim Yoon and public interest members including Professor Kim Jin-hyun of Seoul National University’s Department of Nursing, Professor Jung Hyung-sun of Yonsei University’s Department of Health Administration, Professor Lee Ki-hyo of Inje University College of Health Sciences, Planning Director Shin Hyun-woong of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, and Research Fellow Lee Jeong-hee of the Korea Labor Institute.

The committee had been discussing for about a year to build a sustainable healthcare system and guarantee the people's right to health. In August, they prepared a draft for agreement through labor, management, and government consultations, and in September, they produced a final agreement draft for coordination.

However, the committee’s final agreement collapsed amid the government’s announcement to expand medical school quotas, subsequent collective actions by doctors, and medical-government negotiations.

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