Changwon Special City, Citizens' Wish ... Medical School Attraction Petition Surpasses 600,000 Signatures

The ‘1 Million Citizens, 1 Million Signatures Campaign’ initiated by Changwon Special City in Gyeongnam to attract a medical school has surpassed 600,000 signatures. This is the result of comprehensive efforts including the launch of the Pan-Citizen Promotion Committee in March and continuous rallies urging establishment, along with active signature collection campaigns.

Changwon Special City is making an all-out effort to attract a medical school, a long-cherished goal of 30 years.

Changwon City had already achieved its first target of 300,000 signatures in the first half of the year and set 700,000 as the second target, launching the signature campaign from August. Notably, the second campaign involves not only Changwon citizens but also all cities and counties across Gyeongnam Province, reflecting the collective aspiration of the entire province.

The National Assembly forum held earlier this month was a venue where Changwon’s local lawmakers, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, and the Pan-Citizen Promotion Committee came together, confirming a stronger-than-ever passionate desire for the establishment of a medical school in Changwon.

Experts who participated unanimously emphasized that establishing a medical school in Changwon is urgently needed to prevent the collapse of regional healthcare, reinforcing the justification for the medical school’s establishment.

Thus, the establishment of a medical school in the Changwon area is indispensable to resolving medical imbalances in the Gyeongnam region. Currently, the number of doctors per 1,000 people in Gyeongnam is 1.65, which is lower than the national average of 2.04, and only about two-thirds of Busan Metropolitan City’s 2.36 doctors per 1,000 people, which has a similar population.

Moreover, the current workforce and infrastructure are grossly insufficient to meet the medical demand in the central Gyeongnam area centered around the Changwon National Industrial Complex.

Jung Hyun-seop, Director of the Autonomous Administration Bureau, said, “Surpassing 600,000 signatures reflects the citizens’ strong desire for the establishment of a medical school in Changwon,” adding, “We will definitely achieve the establishment of a medical school in Changwon to protect the health rights of 1.03 million Changwon citizens and 3.3 million Gyeongsangnam-do residents.”

Meanwhile, Changwon City plans to continue the 1 million signature campaign and activities urging the establishment of the medical school until the government’s policy on new medical schools is finalized.

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