Assemblyman Kim Won-i, Publication of 2022 National Assembly Audit Policy Report

Need for Increasing Doctors and Establishing a Medical School in Jeonnam Region to Expand Local Physicians Highlighted

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Hyeong-seok] Kim Won-i, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Health and Welfare Committee, Mokpo City), published a policy report on the topic of increasing the number of doctors and expanding local medical personnel as he concluded the 2022 national audit.

This report contains detailed results of the "2022 Public Opinion Survey on Health Issues," conducted by T-Bridge Corporation, a professional polling agency, commissioned by Kim Won-i's office. The survey was conducted from September 21 to 22, targeting 1,005 citizens nationwide aged 18 and older.

According to the results, 61.6% of respondents answered that the current number of doctors in South Korea is insufficient. When asked about increasing the number of doctors, 69.6% of respondents were in favor. Those who answered "don't know" accounted for 17.1%, and opposition was 13.3%. The gap between support and opposition was 56.3%, showing a clear majority in favor.

Regarding the introduction of the "Regional Doctor System," which separately selects regional doctors who must work for 10 years in non-metropolitan areas after obtaining a medical license when admitting new medical students, 70.7% of respondents supported the idea.

Meanwhile, the policy report also detailed the problems of the Ministry of Education's pilot project for the Public Clinical Professor System and the Ministry of Health and Welfare's Public Health Scholarship System. Both systems are currently implemented to expand local doctors, but participation rates among doctors and medical students are very low, raising concerns about their effectiveness.

At the Ministry of Health and Welfare's national audit held on the 6th, Representative Kim Won-i explained the survey results in detail and urged Minister Cho Kyu-hong to promptly resume discussions on increasing the number of doctors to fundamentally solve the shortage of doctors.

He also strongly requested the establishment of a medical school in the Jeonnam region, the only area nationwide without a medical school, to alleviate the severe shortage of medical personnel in local areas.

Kim Won-i stated, "During this national audit, I once again pointed out the seriousness of the medical gap between regions and the necessity of establishing a medical school in the Jeonnam region," adding, "Since public opinion overwhelmingly supports increasing the number of doctors and the Regional Doctor System, I strongly urged the Ministry of Health and Welfare to promptly resume related discussions that have been suspended since the 2020 medical-government consultative body."

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