Government: "Medical Quota Reconsideration Should Not Be Insisted Upon... Discussion on Financial Investment"

Jungdaebon "Acts Threatening Patient Life and Health Cannot Be Justified"
Medical Reform Financial Investment Plan Discussion Expected, "Bold Support"
Supreme Court Ruling Gives Advantage... Remaining Suspension of Execution Requests Likely to Be Dismissed

The government welcomed the Supreme Court's final dismissal of the injunction request against the medical school quota increase made the previous day, urging the medical community to "join forces for the development of the medical system rather than insisting on re-discussing the quota." Going forward, the government plans to coordinate detailed reform plans through the Special Committee on Medical Reform and focus on discussing financial investment measures such as the establishment of a special account for essential medical care.

On the 20th, Lee Han-kyung, Director of the Disaster and Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, presided over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on doctors' collective actions, stating, "Illegal acts that threaten patients' lives and health cannot be justified for any reason."

Lee Hangyeong, Director of the Disaster Safety Management Headquarters at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, is presiding over the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting on collective medical action on the morning of the 20th at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Ministry of the Interior and Safety]

Director Lee emphasized the Supreme Court's dismissal ruling and called on residents, medical students who had left the field, and some doctors continuing illegal refusal of medical services to return. He particularly stressed the legitimacy of the government's medical reform, saying, "It includes the normalization of the medical delivery system, which the medical community has long demanded and still demands, strengthening compensation for essential medical care, establishing a safety net for medical accidents, and improving the training environment for residents."

He also mentioned the agenda to be discussed at the scheduled 4th Special Committee on Medical Reform. Director Lee said, "We will discuss the direction of reviewing the medical workforce supply and demand estimation and adjustment system, the public participation communication plan, and financial investment measures related to medical reform," adding, "We will continue efforts to establish a special account for essential medical care and a regional medical development fund to provide stable and bold support for the key areas of medical reform where financial resources will be concentrated."

The issue now lies in the future actions of the 'Pan-Medical Community Countermeasures Committee,' launched under the leadership of the Korea Medical Association (KMA), including medical school professor groups and representatives from the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. The KMA announced earlier that if the government’s position does not change, it will form the Pan-Medical Community Countermeasures Committee, including the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, the Korean Medical Students Association, and the Korean Interns and Residents Association, to respond, based on the judgment that a unified communication channel within the medical community is necessary to resolve the medical-government conflict triggered by the medical school quota increase.

However, there are concerns about a 'half-hearted' launch as the residents' association has expressed its intention not to participate. Park Dan, Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Korean Interns and Residents Association (KIRA), stated, "I clearly said that if unagreed matters are mentioned in the media, we will draw a line," and added, "I have not heard anything about the joint chairmanship of the Pan-Medical Community Countermeasures Committee."

The government views the Supreme Court's judgment the previous day as having secured a complete advantage in the current medical school quota increase conflict. The sporadic lawsuits raised so far have effectively ended in a 'complete defeat' for the medical community. The Supreme Court judged, "In a situation where there is a prospect of a shortage of doctors in the future, if the execution of the quota increase allocation is suspended, it may cause significant obstacles to the increase of medical school quotas, which play a crucial role in public health."

The Supreme Court also rejected the medical community's claim that the quality of education would decline due to the quota increase. It pointed out, "Even if the quota increase allocation is not immediately suspended, the quota to be increased in 2025 is only for one academic year, so it is insufficient to consider that the quality of education received by the applicants who are medical students will significantly deteriorate."

Above all, with the Supreme Court issuing an explicit judgment the previous day, the lawsuit between the government and the medical community over the medical school quota increase is expected to be effectively concluded for now. Currently, more than ten injunction requests filed by the medical community against university presidents are pending at the Seoul High Court, but they are expected to be dismissed or rejected following the Supreme Court's ruling.

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