Jung Sye-kyun: "There is a possibility to rescue medical students... The issue is securing medical personnel"

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Eun-young] As the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) intensifies and the shortage of medical personnel becomes a pressing issue, Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun stated that additional relief opportunities may be provided to medical students who refused to take the national medical licensing examination.

On the morning of the 20th, Prime Minister Chung appeared on 'KBS Sunday Diagnosis' and, when asked about relief measures for medical students who refused the national exam, responded, "Due to public opinion, the government will soon take measures considering various realistic situations."

When asked, "Is there a possibility of giving a retest opportunity?" he replied, "That could be one way to look at it."

Prime Minister Chung expressed a cautious stance, saying, "There has been public opinion questioning whether giving a retest opportunity is fair and whether the procedure is legitimate, so that issue has not been resolved," and added, "It seems that public opinion regarding the relief of medical students is also changing."

He continued, "Considering the COVID-19 situation and practical needs, the government will make a decision soon." Such remarks are presumed to indicate that, as the daily number of new COVID-19 cases surpasses 1,000, worsening the shortage of medical personnel, the government has accepted the issue of medical student relief as a top priority.

Prime Minister Chung also said, "Securing beds and other spaces is not the problem. The problem is securing medical staff," adding, "Skilled nursing personnel and infectious disease specialists are needed."

Earlier, fourth-year medical students nationwide staged collective action in August by refusing to take the national medical licensing examination in protest against the government's health care policies, including the expansion of medical school quotas and the establishment of public medical schools.

Subsequently, on September 4, the government, ruling party, and medical community reached an agreement centered on forming a medical-government consultative body, but the students refused the exam despite two opportunities for re-registration. Ultimately, only 446 out of 3,172 candidates for the medical licensing exam, accounting for 14%, took the test.

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