Government: "Few Residents Returning On-Site... Expedite Completion of Admission Procedures"

"About 20 More Residents on Site Duty"
"Medical School Enrollment Increase Procedures Also to Be Expedited"

The government urged resident doctors who have not yet returned to the field to come back, noting that the number of resident doctors returning to the field has recently increased by about 20.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Jeon Byeong-wang, the 1st Controller of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) and Director of the Health and Medical Policy Office at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said at a briefing on the 17th, "Although a minority, there are resident doctors who have steadfastly not left the field and those who are returning to the field."

He added, "It is difficult to know the exact number, but according to reports from 100 training hospitals, the number of resident doctors working on-site increased by about 20 on the 16th compared to the 9th of this month," and said, "I hope resident doctors will muster the courage to return to their training hospitals."

Amid the court's dismissal and rejection decisions yesterday regarding the medical community's appeal against the suspension of the increase in medical school admissions, the government also announced that it will promptly proceed with the medical school expansion process. The former controller stated, "Going forward, the government will swiftly complete the procedures related to the 2025 university entrance examination to prevent further confusion among students preparing for entrance exams and their parents," and added, "We will also ensure the quality of medical education and make thorough preparations to improve the conditions for medical education."

He continued, "We will promptly finalize and implement the 'Medical Education Advancement Plan' to create education conditions at the level of advanced countries."

The government plans to accelerate the implementation of the four major medical reform tasks. The 'Medical Accident Safety Net Expert Committee' held a meeting yesterday, and today, the 'Delivery System and Regional Medical Expert Committee' will hold a meeting to discuss detailed plans to establish a regionally comprehensive medical system.

Meetings of the 'Essential Medical Care and Fair Compensation Expert Committee' and the 'Medical Workforce Expert Committee' will also be held to review medical reform tasks by sector. The former controller said, "Although many medical professionals participate in the special committees and expert committees, the seats recommended by the Korean Medical Association, resident doctors, and the Korean Medical Society remain vacant," and urged, "I ask that you promptly take your seats and join the discussions on medical reform."

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