Gyeongnam Mayors and County Governors Association Urges Establishment of Changwon Medical School

Regular Meeting of the Market and County Governors' Council Held on the 11th at Hadong-gun Wild Tea Museum

The Council of Mayors and County Governors of 18 cities and counties in Gyeongnam has called for the establishment of a medical school in Changwon.

The Gyeongnam Mayors and County Governors Council held its 89th regular meeting at 2:40 p.m. on the 11th at the Hadong Wild Tea Museum and adopted a “Resolution Urging the Establishment of a Medical School in the Changwon Area of Gyeongnam.”

The Council of Mayors and County Governors of 18 Cities and Counties in Gyeongnam has come forward to urge the establishment of a medical school in Changwon.

The resolution includes a call to establish a medical school in the Changwon area, which currently lacks one, to address the increasing concentration of medical personnel and infrastructure in the metropolitan area, eliminate regional disparities in medical services and healthcare gaps, and promote balanced medical development in Gyeongnam Province.

The establishment of a medical school in Changwon has been a long-standing goal for Gyeongnam Province and Changwon City for 30 years. Currently, the quota for medical schools in Gyeongnam is 76 students, which is 2.3 per 100,000 people, far below the national average of 5.9. The number of doctors per 1,000 people is 1.71, which is below the national average of 2.13 and is drastically insufficient compared to Seoul’s 3.37.

The shortage of medical personnel leads to unequal medical services and healthcare gaps between regions. Among the 18 cities and counties in Gyeongnam, 14 have been designated as medically vulnerable areas for emergency care, and the rate of unmet medical needs is among the highest nationwide. The medical utilization rate of Gyeongnam residents is among the lowest in the country. Every year, more than 200,000 residents of Gyeongnam travel to the metropolitan area for medical treatment.

Since 1992, when Changwon University first applied to establish a pre-medical course with a quota of 40 students, Gyeongnam Province and Changwon City have been actively working for over 30 years to establish a medical school, but have repeatedly failed to achieve this goal. However, the current atmosphere is quite different. The government’s willingness to expand medical school quotas is stronger than ever, and there is broad public consensus on the need to increase medical personnel.

Changwon Special City is working jointly with Gyeongnam Province to promote the establishment of a medical school. Since March, they have actively pursued the attraction of a medical school by forming a city-wide citizens’ promotion committee, holding a National Assembly forum, and conducting signature campaigns. The provincial council and city council have adopted resolutions urging the establishment of a medical school in Changwon and have held joint press conferences. On April 27, the Gyeongnam City and County Council Chairpersons’ Association unanimously adopted a resolution.

Changwon City aims to collect more than 300,000 signatures by July and plans to submit the petition along with the signatures to the government and relevant ministries.

Mayor Hong Nampyo stated, “It is impossible to resolve regional disparities in medical services and healthcare gaps by merely increasing the quotas of existing medical schools without establishing a new medical school.” He added, “The establishment of a medical school in the Changwon area is necessary to eliminate healthcare disparities in Gyeongnam and to protect the life and health rights of the residents.”