Gyeongnam Governor Park Wansu: "System Needed to Keep Local Medical Students in Region" ... Mentions Japanese Autonomous Medical Schools

"Institutional measures should be established to enable graduates of regional medical schools to reside in the region, and authority to select necessary medical personnel locally should be granted to local governments."

On the 13th, Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, made this statement during the heads of departments and bureaus meeting held at the provincial government office, regarding the government's recent announcement on the expansion plan for medical school quotas.

Governor Park said, "The government announced on the 6th that it will increase the medical school quota by 2,000 students," adding, "It is now time to develop policies to ensure that graduates of regional medical schools remain in our region."

"During the educational process, local governments should consider institutional measures to support tuition fees and require graduates to reside in the area for a certain period," citing Japan's Jichi Medical University system as an example.

Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongnam Province, is presiding over the meeting of department and bureau heads.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

The Jichi Medical University system mentioned by Governor Park is a special medical school established in 1972 to train doctors who will work in medically underserved areas and other regions.

Students at Jichi Medical University receive scholarships from local governments during the six-year education program, and in return, they are obligated to work for nine years at medical institutions designated by the local governments after graduation.

Governor Park emphasized, "We must create living conditions that satisfy not only medical personnel but also professionals by providing top-level education, housing, and cultural environments."

He also stated, "In the long term, local governments should be granted authority to adjust quotas or establish Jichi Medical Universities through consultations with universities, rather than by law."

During the meeting, Governor Park also instructed the preparation of countermeasures against population decline.

He said, "Recently, private companies have been implementing childbirth encouragement programs," and added, "Administrative agencies should propose even more innovative measures."

"Please conduct a thorough analysis of the causes of population and youth decline by consulting local experts and comparing with other cities and provinces, and establish comprehensive measures ranging from small policies to long-term strategies," he ordered.

A meeting of department and bureau heads is being held at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.
[Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office]

Regarding the application for an education development special zone, he said, "While nurturing technical talents for key industries is important, consideration should also be given to proposing education special zones for cultivating talents in other advanced fields to diversify local industries."

"We should propose an education model unique to Gyeongnam, such as specialized schools like special-purpose schools, to prevent population outflow for children's education and further attract educational demand from other regions by envisioning an education development special zone," he added.

About his visit to the field sites before the Lunar New Year holiday, he said, "When visiting the field, residents provide many opinions about provincial administration," and added, "Listening to residents' opinions and resolving complaints is the way to build trust in provincial administration."

Furthermore, he said, "When implementing policies, it is necessary to check and evaluate what benefits the recipients receive and to implement better policies through feedback," emphasizing, "Policy inspection through on-site verification is necessary."

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