Ministry of Health and Welfare: "Public Medical Schools and Regional Doctors Act Require Time to Wait"

Vice Minister Park Minsu Emphasizes 'Premature Bills'
Appeals for Thorough Review and Compliance with Procedures

"Impatience can ruin the dialogue. If an unripe bill passes so abruptly, it can cause much confusion and difficulty."

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, is expressing a critical stance on the National Assembly's attempt to pass the Public Medical School Act and the Regional Doctor Act.
[Photo by Ministry of Health and Welfare]

Park Min-su, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, expressed strong criticism toward the National Assembly's attempt to pass the Public Medical School Act and the Regional Doctor Act, stating that "time for waiting is necessary." On the 22nd, he repeatedly emphasized that it is not the right time during a meeting with reporters at the Yeongdeungpo Southern Branch of the National Health Insurance Corporation in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.

Vice Minister Park cited the example of the Battle of Red Cliffs from the Three Kingdoms, saying, "Among various strategies and tactics, the most important was that the fire attack was launched when the southeast wind was blowing," and added, "If the fire attack had been launched when the southeast wind was not blowing, victory would not have been achieved." Although public support for increasing medical school quotas is currently high, he stressed that in the actual implementation process, sophisticated strategies and policies must be accompanied by understanding and consensus achieved through sufficient dialogue and consultation.

On the 20th, the Public Medical School Act and the Regional Doctor Act, led by the Democratic Party of Korea, passed the Health and Welfare Committee in the National Assembly. The Public Medical School Act includes provisions to establish public medical schools to expand medical personnel in the regions, and the Regional Doctor Act includes selecting some medical school quotas through a regional doctor selection process and mandating 10 years of compulsory service within the region. If discussions in the Legislation and Judiciary Committee do not take place for more than 60 days, direct referral to the plenary session is also possible. Since the Democratic Party holds a majority, if the bill is pushed forward, it could pass the National Assembly before next year’s general election.

He also expressed concerns that if the bill is forced through, incidents similar to the nursing law controversy in April could recur. Vice Minister Park said, "I think it is similar to the nursing law," and evaluated, "While many parts of its intent are agreeable, there was much opposition and conflict among many professional groups due to insufficient discussion and debate." Regarding the Public Medical School and Regional Doctor Acts, he expressed regret that "these parts are proceeding without sufficient review," and appealed, "Even if it takes a long time, please follow procedures so that the government can work effectively."

He raised issues about the content of the bill as well. Vice Minister Park said, "Establishing a new medical school requires land and buildings, and securing faculty," and estimated, "Even if it proceeds as quickly as possible, it will take 4 to 5 years, or up to nearly 10 years." Even if the establishment is successfully completed, considering that admitted students will undergo a 6-year undergraduate course and 4 to 5 years of training, it will take a considerable amount of time before the bill’s effects are realized. He said, "At that time, whether an increase in doctors is still necessary should be reviewed separately." He also mentioned concerns about opacity in the admission process, such as recommendations from civic groups, and skepticism about repeating the medical graduate school model, which has been evaluated as unsuccessful.

Regarding the Regional Doctor System, since it can also be applied to existing medical schools, these issues may be less severe, but he emphasized the need for further review, saying, "The school and faculty must accept the division of students into ‘national’ and ‘regional’ within one school for the system to settle," repeatedly stressing the necessity of sufficient discussion.

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