A patient will be transferred from Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 24th./News 1
On the 24th, it was reported that the government decided that if the medical community presents a “unified medical school expansion plan”, the extent of medical school expansion for the 2026 school year can be discussed again. Although there is a premise called the “unification plan”, the number of medical schools to be increased may be reviewed starting from the 2026 entrance exam, when high school students are currently taking the entrance exam.
Previously, in his medical reform speech on January 1, President Yoon Seok-yeol said, “If the medical community comes up with a reasonable and unified (rising) plan, we can argue as much as we want.” According to the coverage of this document, the government subsequently worked to further specify this aspect through meetings with the relevant ministries. Accordingly, the policy was established that “if the medical community does not insist on canceling the increase and presents a unified plan to increase the number of students with scientific basis, the number of increases in medical schools can be studied and discussed from above again.” Entrance exam 2026.”
There is a possibility that reviewing the extent of medical school expansion will also be on the agenda of the Presidential Special Committee on Medical Reform, which will be launched on the 25th. A government official said: “We could discuss this problem by creating a separate organization such as the “Committee for Estimating the Number of Physicians,” which the medical community has requested.”
Graphics = Yang Jin-kyung
The fact that the government has indicated its intention to rediscuss the expansion of medical schools after the 2026 school year means that it can also review the “long-term plan for increasing the number of doctors” originally announced by the government. Last February, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced: “We will increase the number of medical school students by 2,000 every year starting from the 2025 entrance exam, increasing the total number of students by 10,000 in 5 years” . However, if the medical community presents a single plan, the government will not continue to stick to the policy of “increase the number of people by 10,000 in 5 years”.
Once the discussion on increasing the number of medical schools resumes, it will have a significant impact on the education and medical sectors as it will mean adjusting the number of admissions in 40 medical schools across the country. The adjustment recently allowed by the government to increase the number of medical schools for the 2025 academic year was to leave the government-allocated “2,000 students” as is, and for each university to temporarily adjust its recruitment quota only for next year. The analysis is that the government continually shows a flexible position on the issue of increasing the number of medical schools.
The key to re-discussing the expansion of medical schools between the government and the medical community is whether the medical community can come up with a “scientific and unified expansion plan.” A senior government official said: “If the medical community does not reach a united position, even if the government reaches an agreement with the professors’ group, the medical association and residents may break the agreement by saying ‘we never agreed.’ agreement'”. “. If a unified plan is introduced, the government will also reconsider it.” “There is no reason to refuse,” he said.
However, the position is that the “complete cancellation,” including increased student numbers for the 2025 school year, called for by the medical community cannot be accepted. This is physically impossible because the guidelines for the medical school entrance exam 2025 must be finalized by the end of next month at the latest. On the other hand, it is believed that there is time to rediscuss the increase in staff after the 2026 school year.
Row of wheelchairs lined up in front of emergency room – Patients in wheelchairs are lined up in front of the emergency medical center of a teaching hospital in Seoul on the 24th, waiting for treatment. On this day, the Emergency Response Committee of the Faculty Council of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital announced that there would be group closure on the 30th. /News 1
A former official of the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated: “The medical community is a group of grains of sand scattered according to the size of the hospital and department” and “There is no representative organization to coordinate the differences between departments, so the government cannot negotiate the annual fee (the money the National Health Insurance Corporation gives to hospitals).” He said: “We also consult separately with the hospital and clinical groups.” This means that the structure is difficult to develop a “unification plan” compared to other sectors.
In this situation, the emergency committee of professors of Seoul National School of Medicine announced on the 24th: “To provide a reasonable basis for the number of doctors, we will invite a research paper to estimate how many doctors will be needed in the future . ” Bang Jae-seung, chairman of the emergency committee of the Faculty Association of Seoul National University School of Medicine, held a press conference that day and said: “It takes 8 to 12 months to prepare a document of research,” and added: “We reflect the situation research results submitted by the emergency committee of Seoul National University Medical School in the medical school quota for the 2026 school year. However, until the publication of these results, it was proposed not to increase the number of medical school students, but to freeze it at the current level. President Bang continued: “If the public believes that this plan is reasonable, I propose that the government and medical groups make concessions and that residents and medical students return until the results of the estimated number of doctors.”
Bang Jae-seung (left), chairman of the Emergency Response Committee of the Faculty Council of Seoul National University College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital, holds a press conference at the Convergence Hall of Seoul National University College of Medicine in Jongno-gu on the morning of the 24th and explains the competition for research and publications related to medical reform and the number of doctors needed./Yonhap news
President Bang’s proposal is not something that has been agreed upon with other medical organizations, such as special medical organizations. However, some in the medical community say, “This could be the starting point for creating a unified plan for the entire medical community regarding the size of the increase.” Even the resident group, which is the party that triggered this dispute over the government by leaving the group last February, said: “Let’s recalculate the estimate of the number of doctors with scientific methods.” This means that residents are likely to agree with the “estimate of future medical personnel” prepared by the medical community itself.
People in the medical field said: “The government only mentioned ‘preparing a plan to unify the medical field’ as a condition for rediscussing the increase, but did not say what the size of the increase should be.” as a draft,” he said.
As the government shows a flexible position on the size of the increase, there are voices calling for residents and professors to engage in dialogue with the government. However, major medical organizations, such as the Korean Medical Association and the Association of Korean Medical Residents, announced that they would not participate in the Special Committee on Medical Reform under the presidency. Resident groups continue to demand the government’s mandatory medical (support) package and the complete cancellation of the medical school expansion policy as conditions for return. There can be no dialogue without a declaration of cancellation.
The Korean Medical Association also stands by its plan to repeal the law entirely. The Emergency Response Committee of the Korean Medical Association held a briefing on the 24th and said: “Revoking the unjust administrative order issued against medical residents and stopping the increase in the number of (medical school) students is the minimum amount of sincerity from the government that can guide the (medical community) to a position of dialogue.” “In May we will experience a Korea never experienced before,” he said “The training of hospitals that have lost focus on residents will reduce the their care and some hospitals risk going bankrupt.”
Medical school professors’ organizations, such as the National Medical University Emergency Response Committee, are in a position to resign en masse if the plan is not completely abolished. The professors have announced several times that they will leave the hospital in sequence starting from the 25th.
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