[2025 Budget Proposal] Essential Medical Residents Receiving Training Expenses and Allowances

10 Trillion Won Fiscal Investment for Medical Reform
Including Support for Professors and Facilities Related to Medical School Expansion
Expansion of Evening Clinics at Dalbit Children's Hospital

The government will significantly increase support for residents specializing in essential medical subjects next year. It has newly allocated 300 billion KRW for training costs and will expand the monthly allowance of 1 million KRW, previously paid only to pediatric residents, to all essential subjects. To complete medical reform, it has decided to invest over 10 trillion KRW from national finances and more than 10 trillion KRW from health insurance over the next five years.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance announced the '2025 Budget Proposal' with these details on the 27th. The budget proposal was reviewed and approved at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office building on the same day.

Starting next year, the government plans to invest 2 trillion KRW annually in medical reform, totaling 10 trillion KRW over the next five years. Although the exact size of next year's health insurance budget is not yet finalized due to the timing of fee adjustments, more than 10 trillion KRW will be invested over the next five years, similar to the fiscal budget.

Medical staff moving inside a large hospital in Seoul last month [Image source=Yonhap News]

An official from the Ministry of Economy and Finance said, "We believe that both health insurance and fiscal resources must play a role for this medical reform to succeed." He added, "The medical-related budget this year is 80 billion KRW, but next year it will increase by more than 200 billion KRW, expanding about 2.4 times. Despite difficult fiscal conditions, we are investing in medical reform."

The government has newly allocated 300 billion KRW in training costs to support direct expenses such as education and faculty salaries for 9,000 residents in essential medical subjects. The ministry official explained, "We expect the burden on university hospitals teaching residents in essential medical fields to decrease."

The monthly allowance of 1 million KRW, which was paid to 220 pediatric residents this year, will be expanded to cover 4,600 residents next year. Support will be extended not only to pediatrics but also to eight essential subjects dealing with human lives, including internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, and emergency medicine, with the related budget increasing by 400 billion KRW. The Ministry of Economy and Finance explained that "this is not so much income compensation as a concept of the state rewarding essential medical personnel."

The government will also newly prepare 400 billion KRW for supporting professors and educational facilities needed due to the increase in medical school admissions. Most of the budget will be used to expand medical school facilities and equipment. A budget of 26 billion KRW has been allocated for hiring 330 additional professors at national university medical schools.

To expand essential medical services, a budget of 300 billion KRW will be executed. The number of Dalbit Children’s Hospitals, which provide care until evening, will double from 45 to 93, and the number of pediatric specialized emergency medical centers will increase from 12 to 14. The number of special-purpose negative pressure ambulances will be significantly increased from 14 to 56, and 17.9 billion KRW will be invested in introducing proton therapy machines.

For strengthening regional medical care, a budget of 600 billion KRW has been allocated. Three hundred billion KRW will be spent on modernizing facilities and equipment at regional responsibility and base hospitals. Fourteen hundred million KRW will be invested to support the operation of the 'Regional Essential Doctor System,' which provides a monthly regional work allowance of 4 million KRW to 96 essential medical specialists working long-term in local areas.

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