Minister Chung Eun-kyung: "Regional Physician System May Allow Exchanges Between Medically Underserved Areas If Needed"

Current Medical School Admissions Policy to Refer to Workforce Estimation Committee
"Consensus to Be Reached Through Democratic Procedures and Public Opinion Gathering"

"By the time students admitted to medical schools through the regional doctor system graduate in six years, the demand for doctors in specific specialties and regions may have changed. Therefore, while providing the same education as other medical schools, we should strengthen education on regional and public healthcare. Upon graduation, when choosing internships or residencies, students should be able to receive proposals regarding where and what kind of work they will do for the next ten years, and, if necessary, allow for exchanges between medically underserved areas."

Jung Eunkyung, Minister of Health and Welfare

Jung Eunkyung, Minister of Health and Welfare, stated that she would expedite the preparation of subordinate regulations and work to establish incentives for doctors to remain in local areas, in relation to the "Act on the Training and Support of Regional Doctors (Regional Doctor System)," which is both a presidential campaign pledge of President Lee Jaemyung and is set to be submitted to the National Assembly plenary session.

At a press briefing with reporters on the 1st, Minister Jung said, "It is clear that we need doctors to work in regional, essential, and public healthcare, and both the political sphere and the medical community agree on this point. However, whether to solve this within the current medical school quota or to increase admissions will be determined with reference to the projections of the Medical Workforce Supply and Demand Estimation Committee, in line with the current government's policy."

She further explained, "Even if we increase the number of doctors, it is difficult to immediately secure the regional and essential medical personnel we need. That is why we aim to train, allocate, and support personnel through the regional doctor system. This process will take some time, during which we will establish a solid foundation, collect opinions through democratic procedures, and seek social consensus."

Previously, the regional doctor system bill passed the National Assembly Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 26th of last month. However, the provision to implement the system starting in 2027 was deleted, effectively pushing the implementation to 2028. This is due to the time required for university admission preparations, prior notification, and amendments to subordinate regulations.

Minister Jung stated, "Medical workforce projections are not calculated by a scientific formula, nor is there a single correct answer. We must take into account various factors, such as the development of artificial intelligence (AI) medical technologies and the emergence of new medical demands, as well as make policy judgments. We also need to consider how to assign and place the trained personnel, how to ensure they fill gaps in medical care during their ten-year mandatory service, and how to support them to continue practicing in the region even after that period if possible."

To this end, she suggested that when students admitted to each regional medical school through the regional doctor system graduate, there should be a way to analyze and match the demand for various medical resources based on needs assessments. As the demand for specific types of doctors in certain regions may change over time and regional disparities may arise, the system should be designed and implemented with institutional precision.

Minister Jung emphasized, "For example, if a regional doctor trained in South Jeolla Province is needed, they could work in a medically underserved area in South Gyeongsang Province. We will focus on preparing subordinate regulations as quickly as possible, and when the system is implemented in 2027 or 2028, we will evaluate and refine the policy throughout the approximately ten-year training period until these regional doctors become specialists, so that the policy can take firm root."

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