Medical Students Association, "Increasing Medical School Quotas Causes Decline in Education Quality... Should Be Decided by Medical Issues Council"

"Fundamental Measures Such as Fee Policies Must Precede"

As the government begins a demand survey to expand the quota of medical school admissions, the Korea Association of Medical Colleges and Medical Schools (KAMC) has voiced opposition, stating that "a decline in the quality of education is anticipated."

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On the 26th, KAMC issued a statement saying, "Increasing the number of doctors cannot be the sole solution to the recent collapse of essential medical services or the gaps in regional healthcare." KAMC is an organization comprising medical colleges and medical schools nationwide as its members.

KAMC argues that increasing medical school admission quotas could burden the educational field. The association emphasized, "An increase in medical school admission quotas will inevitably cause overload in the educational field, and a decline in the quality of education is anticipated as a result. To minimize such side effects, this process must be conducted in close communication with the 40 medical colleges."

KAMC's position is that the increase in medical school admission quotas should be decided through the Medical Issues Council. The association stated, "Decisions regarding the nationwide scale of increases must be made through consultations between the medical community and the government via the Medical Issues Council, as agreed in the 2020 medical-government agreement," and added, "In the future, an expert organization that regularly monitors doctor supply and demand and adjusts medical school admission quotas accordingly must be established."

KAMC also argued that fundamental measures to address the collapse of essential medical services should take priority before deciding on increasing medical school admissions. The association said, "Medical school admission quotas have been frozen for over 20 years, but adjustments can be discussed if necessary, considering public health improvement and social demand," while emphasizing, "Fundamental policies such as payment system reforms and strengthening legal protections must precede and accompany such adjustments."

The government decided on the 26th to increase medical school quotas starting from the 2025 academic year, with the possibility of gradually increasing quotas after the 2026 academic year depending on each university's circumstances. Accordingly, from today, a survey will be conducted to assess each medical school's demand for increased admissions and their capacity to accommodate them. Health and Welfare Minister Cho Kyu-hong stated regarding the timing of quota finalization, "We plan to proceed swiftly with follow-up discussions related to the (November) demand survey and decide as quickly as possible."

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