Will the Government and Uihyeop Meet Today as Planned... Severe Conflict Expected, Why?

Medical Issues Council Meeting Held Immediately After Government Demand Survey Results
Differences in Positions Seem Difficult to Narrow

Conflicts between the government and the medical community over the issue of expanding medical school quotas have reached a peak. This follows the government's demand survey results, which revealed that 40 medical schools nationwide could nearly double their current admission quotas (3,058 students) starting from next year's entrance exams. The medical community, led by the Korea Medical Association, has warned that they are prepared to go on a total strike. Amid this, an official meeting between the government and the medical community is scheduled.

Medical Issue Consultative Body
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Ministry of Health and Welfare will hold the 18th Medical Issues Consultative Body meeting at 4 p.m. on the 22nd at the Conference House Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul. This consultative body is an official communication channel where the Ministry and the Medical Association discuss the issue of expanding medical school quotas. Participants from the Ministry include Jeong Gyeol-sil, Director of Health and Medical Policy, and from the Medical Association, Yang Dong-ho, Chair of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Medical Association Delegates Council, among others.

This 18th meeting between the Ministry and the Medical Association is the first since the government announced the results of the medical school quota expansion demand survey on the 21st. The Ministry announced the day before that 40 medical schools nationwide expect to increase their admission quotas by up to 93.1% starting from the 2025 entrance exams, and by up to 129.3% by the 2030 entrance exams compared to the current quotas.

According to the demand survey results, the 40 medical schools nationwide expressed a desired increase in new student admissions ranging from a minimum of 2,151 to a maximum of 2,847 for next year. For the 2030 academic year, the desired increase ranges from a minimum of 2,738 to a maximum of 3,953. The minimum demand refers to the scale of increase possible with current faculty, facilities, and educational capacity, while the maximum demand represents the scale that medical schools can accommodate if additional educational conditions are secured. This figure far exceeds the medical school quota, which has been frozen at 3,058 for 18 years. The Medical Association has previously expressed a negative stance on the publication of these survey results, stating that “asking all medical schools about their desired quotas is not a discussion based on scientific and objective data” (Kim I-yeon, Public Relations Director of the Medical Association).

Immediately after the government announced the demand survey results, the Medical Association warned, “If the government unilaterally pushes forward the medical school quota policy without scientific evidence and sufficient communication, we will unite the consensus of 140,000 doctors and are prepared to go on a total strike.” They also stated they would engage in a level of struggle surpassing the 2020 resident doctors' strike. Various medical organizations, including the National Association of Metropolitan and Provincial Medical Association Presidents and the Young Doctors' Council, have also announced strong resistance.

This consultative body meeting is likely to be a venue where the Medical Association protests the demand survey results to the Ministry. The agenda for this meeting was the improvement plan for fees related to high-risk and complex medical procedures, aimed at revitalizing essential and regional medical care. A Medical Association official commented, “Given the current situation, it seems difficult to discuss the original agenda.”

The Ministry of Health and Welfare is also expected not to back down easily. The Ministry has stated that through the Medical Education Inspection Team’s field investigations, it plans to submit the total medical school admission quota for next year to the Ministry of Education by early January. A Ministry official said, “The Medical Association can present other opinions,” and added, “Since there are communication channels such as the Medical Issues Consultative Body, we will continue to negotiate.”

Public opinion appears to lean toward supporting the expansion of medical school quotas. According to a public opinion survey on doctor workforce expansion released by the Health and Medical Workers’ Union, 82.7% of respondents answered that medical school quotas should be increased. Among them, 57.7% said it is “very necessary,” and 25.0% said it is “necessary.”

In addition to expanding the doctor workforce, the Ministry plans to implement a package of regional and essential medical policies, including alleviating judicial risk burdens and reforming the fee system. However, a Ministry official stated, “The Medical Association can no longer ignore the voices from the field calling for an increase in the doctor workforce.”

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