Securing Military Medical Officers... Is the Establishment of the National Defense Medical University Being Pursued?

Ministry of National Defense Orders Research Service... Zero Long-Term Supporters Last Year Raises Serious Concerns

The Ministry of National Defense will commission a research project to promote the establishment of a Military Medical School.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Ministry of National Defense on the 16th, various measures are being considered to secure long-term military doctors, and one of the options being pursued is the Military Medical School.

The number of applicants for long-term military medical service has remained in single digits over the past 10 years. Military doctors are divided into short-term service of 3 years and long-term service of 10 years. The number of long-term applicants was 4 in 2014, 2 in 2015, 3 in 2016, 2 in 2017, 1 in 2018, 3 in 2019, 0 in 2020, 1 each in 2021 and 2022, and 0 in 2023. As a result, as of July last year, among approximately 2,400 military doctors working in all military medical institutions, only 7.7% were long-term military doctors.

The shortage of long-term military doctors leads to a decline in the proficiency of military medical personnel. The Ministry of National Defense has been promoting measures such as flexible service periods and wage increases to expand the number of long-term service applicants, but seeing limitations, it is understood that they are pursuing the establishment of a medical school to ensure stable supply. The Ministry believes that establishing a Military Medical School will not only improve the level of military medical care but also contribute to strengthening public healthcare. Since the plan to produce long-term military doctors through the establishment of the Defense Medical Institute in 2011 was scrapped due to opposition from the medical community, the Ministry intends to have thorough discussions with the medical community, related organizations, and the National Assembly this time.

A Ministry of National Defense official said, “The establishment of the Military Medical School is one of the various measures being considered to secure long-term military doctors, but it is still in the review stage and nothing has been finalized yet.”

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