Yoon: "Expand Medical Workforce... Reduce Legal Risks for Doctors and Ensure Fair Compensation System"

President Yoon's Special New Year Interview

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 7th that "expanding the medical school quota is an issue that can no longer be postponed" in relation to increasing the number of doctors.

On the same day, when the anchor asked during the broadcast of 'Special Interview: Visiting the Presidential Office' on KBS 1TV starting at 10 p.m. whether the expansion of the medical school quota would definitely be implemented, President Yoon responded accordingly.

President Yoon emphasized, "First of all, due to the aging population in our country, the demand for doctors is increasing, and increasing the number of doctors is necessary. Ultimately, national policy must prioritize the people. Moreover, since the level of medical personnel in our country is among the highest in the world, expanding the medical school quota is an issue that can no longer be delayed in order to advance into the global medical industry market and to develop the bio-healthcare sector."

He added, "In the past, governments were overly concerned about elections and viewed this issue domestically only as a conflict among medical consumers, patients' families, and medical staff. From my perspective, I believe this is a path where patients, patients' families, and medical staff can all coexist and prosper together."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon particularly criticized, "It is shameful that despite our medical staff's world-class capabilities and the top-tier efficiency of our health insurance system, there are still issues such as pediatric department 'open runs' and emergency room 'round trips.' According to OECD standards, the number of doctors is among the lowest."

He also emphasized that it is time to actively promote medical reform, including expanding medical personnel, reducing legal risks for doctors, establishing a fair compensation system, and forming a regionally comprehensive medical system with essential medical specialties.

Earlier, on the 6th, the government held the Health and Medical Policy Deliberation Committee and decided to increase the nationwide medical school admission quota by 2,000 students from next year's university entrance, selecting a total of 5,058 students. In response, medical organizations have threatened to launch full-scale protests after the Lunar New Year holiday.

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