Ruling Party and Government to Greatly Increase Medical School Quotas... Medical Associations Warn of "Strike at All Costs" with Strong Countermeasures

Medical organizations are reportedly set to adopt a strong official stance against the government's plan to significantly increase the number of medical school admissions starting in 2025.

According to the Korean Medical Association, a nationwide meeting of physician representatives will be held in Seoul on the 17th to devise future measures regarding the government's plan to expand medical school quotas. Within the medical community, there are voices stating, "If a hastily prepared plan is announced without a medical-government agreement, we will not hesitate to strike." In fact, during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, when the government pushed for expanding medical school quotas and establishing public medical schools, doctors including residents staged a total strike and collective sick leave.

The government plans to announce this week a measure to increase medical school admissions by as many as over 1,000 students, which have been capped for 18 years, as a way to address essential and regional medical service shortages. Since early this year, through 14 rounds of medical issue consultative meetings with the medical community, a plan to increase admissions by 300 to 500 students annually from 2025 was considered. However, due to the relatively low number of doctors compared to overseas countries and rapid aging, it was concluded that this increase would be insufficient, leading to a shift toward a plan for a substantial increase. There are also talks that the expansion of medical school quotas will focus on regional national universities and local talent.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, even if medical school admissions increase by 1,000 students annually starting next year, the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Korea in 2035 is predicted to be only 2.88, which is 64% of the OECD average of 4.5 doctors per 1,000 people.

Public opinion supporting the expansion of medical school quotas is also strong. According to a recent "National Medical Issue Survey" released by Kim Won-i, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party, more than half of the public believes that medical school admissions should be increased by 300 to 1,000 students. Among them, 24.0% responded that the increase should be over 1,000 students.

However, the medical community's position is firm. They argue that simply increasing the number of doctors will not fill the gaps in essential and regional medical services. A medical community official stated, "The fundamental improvement should come first by raising medical fees in these fields where effort is not adequately compensated and improving the treatment of medical staff."

The Seoul Medical Association recently stated in a declaration, "Whether it is public medical schools, new medical schools, or the government's proposed expansion of medical school quotas, none can prevent the ongoing collapse of Korean healthcare," adding, "To expand essential medical services, the vicious cycle of existing doctors shifting to non-essential medical fields must be resolved first."

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