The Incheon Metropolitan Council has called for the establishment of a public medical school at Incheon National University.
On the 28th, the council held the 5th plenary session of the 285th extraordinary meeting and passed the "Resolution to Urge the Establishment of a Public Medical School at Incheon National University," which was introduced by Jang Seong-suk (Democratic Party, proportional representation), a member of the Culture and Welfare Committee.
The resolution urged the government to establish a public medical school at Incheon National University to raise the level of medical care in Incheon, cultivate excellent medical personnel, and respond to the era's demand for expanding the public healthcare system.
It also called on the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to develop plans to improve Incheon's insufficient medical infrastructure and provide scholarship support so that students can focus on their studies.
The resolution further included provisions to designate Incheon Medical Center as a medical education and training institution, establishing a system whereby graduates work for 10 years after obtaining their licenses at public health institutions in Incheon, contributing to the improvement of Incheon's public healthcare level.
Incheon is the gateway to South Korea, home to an international airport and port, and a key transportation hub connecting the world and the Seoul metropolitan area, making it a city where early response capability is crucial due to the high risk of exposure to various infectious diseases.
However, Incheon ranks 6th among the seven special and metropolitan cities nationwide in terms of the number of doctors per 1,000 population (2.5) and the number of hospital beds per 1,000 population (11.9), making it a medically vulnerable area. Additionally, Incheon has the second highest number of treatable deaths per 100,000 population (48.58) among 17 cities and provinces.
Jang, the representative proposer of the resolution, said, "We strongly urge the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to actively promote the establishment of a public medical school at Incheon National University to meet the era's demand for expanding public healthcare and to improve the region's poor medical system."
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