Jeonnam Province Hustles to Explain the Necessity of Establishing a Medical School

Expressing the Need at the Public Healthcare Forum

[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Jeonnam Province is working tirelessly to promote the necessity of establishing a medical school in the region.

According to the province on the 3rd, it explained the difficult medical reality in Jeonnam and the need for establishing a medical school at the ‘Diagnosis and Prescription of Public Healthcare in Crisis’ forum held in Seoul, organized by Silryeon and the Korean Federation of Trade Unions.

At the forum, Professor Kim Yoon of Seoul National University and Professor Na Baekju of the University of Seoul presented, while No Jeonghun, Director of the Public Healthcare Division at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Kwak Jungil, Director of the Food and Drug Division of Jeonnam Province, and Cho Seungyeon, President of the National Association of Local Medical Centers, participated as discussants.

Members of the National Assembly including Jeong Chunsuk, Seo Youngseok, Lee Sujin, Heo Jongsik, and Kim Jooyoung also attended, showing active interest from the political sphere.

The forum discussed ways to strengthen the public healthcare system in the COVID-19 era and plans to train local doctors to expand the medical workforce.

Director Kwak Jungil publicly shared the difficulties of Jeonnam, the only metropolitan local government nationwide without a medical school, garnering consensus on the establishment of a medical school in the Jeonnam region. Participants nodded in agreement, especially regarding the case of a hospital in Haenam that had to close wards due to a shortage of medical personnel.

Director Kwak stated, “In July last year, the ruling party and government announced plans to establish medical schools in areas without them, but discussions have been delayed, causing great concern among residents. To truly eliminate medical disparities, establishing medical schools in areas without them must come first.”

He continued, “If only the medical school quotas are expanded, areas without medical schools will become further marginalized. Considering that training medical personnel takes over ten years, the establishment of medical schools must be pursued as soon as possible.”

President Cho Seungyeon also emphasized the importance of regional base public hospitals for a sustainable healthcare system.

The province is raising awareness of the need to establish a medical school together with various civic groups. It plans to hold its own forums on the 21st and June 4th to identify medical inconveniences faced by residents in vulnerable areas and find improvement measures.

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