Regional National Universities and Members of the National Assembly Hold Forum for Establishing Medical Schools

A public forum was held to expand regional public medical personnel and establish new national medical schools.

On the 14th, five national universities?Mokpo, Suncheon, Andong, Changwon, and Gongju Universities?and members of the National Assembly held the "National Assembly Forum for Expanding Regional Public Medical Personnel and Establishing New National Medical Schools."

The forum was attended by 15 members of the National Assembly, including Lee Gae-ho, Seo Sam-seok, Shin Jeong-hoon, Kim Won-i, Kim Hoe-jae, Seo Dong-yong, So Byung-chul, Yoon Jae-gap, Kim Hyung-dong, Kim Young-sun, Kang Ki-yoon, Yoon Han-hong, Lee Dal-gon, Choi Hyung-doo, and Jeong Jin-seok.

Participants at the forum widely highlighted the harsh reality where patients with severe trauma, emergencies, and chronic diseases in medically underserved areas must travel to tertiary general hospitals in other regions to survive, and called for the government's role in increasing medical school quotas and establishing national medical schools.

They also explored ways to bridge the gap in medical services between regions together with Professor Kim Yoon of Seoul National University College of Medicine, a leading authority in Korea's public healthcare sector.

The first part of the forum began with a greeting from Song Ha-cheol, president of Mokpo National University, followed by welcome speeches from Assembly members Seo Sam-seok, Kang Ki-yoon, Kim Won-i, Kim Hoe-jae, So Byung-chul, and Kim Hyung-dong. It proceeded with the adoption of a joint petition and a performance where about 300 participants representing each region called for the "establishment of national medical schools" and "expansion of regional public healthcare."

In the second part, Professor Kim Yoon gave a presentation titled "Plans for Establishing Regional National Medical Schools to Eliminate Medical Inequality Between Regions," pointing out the problem of medical inequality based on statistical results showing increased mortality rates among patients in areas lacking tertiary general hospitals (third-level hospitals). As a solution, he proposed establishing new national medical schools and building a regionally comprehensive medical system based on a network of regional base hospitals.

During the panel discussion following the presentation, medical experts from each university shared a common opinion in response to some claims advocating for increasing quotas at existing medical schools instead of establishing new ones for economic efficiency. They stated that such claims disregard the constitutional spirit that prioritizes the people's right to health and that merely increasing quotas at existing medical schools does not fundamentally resolve the suffering experienced by residents in medically underserved areas.

The five national universities plan to deliver the jointly adopted petition and related discussions from the forum to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and request that attention be paid to the distressing realities faced by residents living in medically underserved areas such as Jeollanam-do, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Gyeongsangnam-do, and Chungcheongnam-do.

Song Ha-cheol, president of Mokpo National University and organizer of the forum, emphasized, "In the regions, many severe trauma and emergency patients die during transport to tertiary general hospitals in other areas, and many people wake up at 5 to 6 a.m. several times a month to spend the day on trains or buses to visit hospitals in the metropolitan area. This is why we gathered here today. Going forward, to ensure that no one suffers from unreasonable medical inequality simply because they live in the provinces, the five national universities will actively promote the establishment of national medical schools together with the members of the National Assembly and local residents who share the goal of expanding regional public medical personnel."

Meanwhile, several special bills related to the establishment of national university medical schools for residents living in medically underserved areas are currently pending in the National Assembly.