Sangmin Lee: "We Will Increase the Number of National University Medical School Professors by 1,000 by 2027" (Update)

The government has decided to increase the number of medical school professors at base national universities by 1,000 by 2027. This aligns with the expansion of medical school quotas by 2,000 students, and the five regional emergency medical situation rooms, originally scheduled to open by May, will begin immediate operation on April 4.

On the morning of the 29th, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min presented these measures to strengthen the medical system and education system at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting held at the Government Seoul Office, stating, "The government's medical reform, including the expansion of medical school quotas, is the last chance to save the people and the regions."

On the 29th, the final day of the deadline for residents to return set by the government, Lee Sang-min, Minister of the Interior and Safety, attended the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting held at the Government Seoul Office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, and delivered opening remarks. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

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The deadline set by the government as the 'return deadline' to avoid legal action for residents who collectively left hospitals is now just one day away. In this regard, Minister Lee said, "Today is the last day to wait for the residents' proper judgment and decision," expressing concern that "patients in desperate need are waiting for surgery and critically ill patients requiring urgent treatment are having difficulty accessing hospitals in the medical field that residents have left."

He added, "Protecting the lives of the people is the reason for the existence of the state and the highest constitutional value," and promised, "As the President has stated, the government will ensure that citizens can receive proper treatment anywhere and on time through medical reform."

The improvement measures Minister Lee proposed that day include expanding medical school professors at base national universities and the early opening of regional emergency medical situation rooms. Specifically, to drastically strengthen essential and regional medical care and improve the quality of medical education, the plan is to increase the number of medical school professors at base national universities by 1,000 by 2027. Minister Lee added, "If necessary during actual operations, we will additionally reinforce based on field demand."

Furthermore, the government announced a plan to open the metropolitan, Chungcheong, Jeolla, and Gyeongsang regional emergency medical situation rooms, originally scheduled to open sequentially by May, early on March 4. The government plans to comprehensively manage and coordinate the transfer of severe and critical patients at these regional emergency medical situation rooms to ensure emergency patients receive timely treatment.

Minister Lee also expressed gratitude to the doctors and nurses protecting the frontlines and to the public. He said, "I deeply thank the doctors and nurses who are protecting the medical field beside patients and saving precious lives with their noble dedication," and "I also sincerely thank the public for demonstrating mature civic consciousness despite the chaos in the medical field."

Meanwhile, the government had set March 29 as the final deadline for residents who collectively submitted resignations and stopped working to return. The official government position is that those who return by this date will not be held accountable. Preparations for legal procedures starting in March, including filing complaints against current and former executives of the Korean Medical Association (KMA) and issuing work commencement orders by visiting residents' homes, have already been completed. Notably, the government visited some residents' homes the day before to deliver orders directly. This measure targets residents who avoided work commencement orders sent by mail or text messages. By ensuring the effectiveness of order delivery, the government aims to avoid controversy during subsequent processing and gain an advantage in the complaint process.

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