Doctors United Against Medical School Expansion: "We Will Strike If Forced Without Consultation"

Medical organizations have opposed the government's unilateral decision to increase the number of medical school admissions. On the 17th, the medical organizations warned, "If policies are carried out unilaterally without consultation with the medical community, we will strongly resist using all means and methods."

At the 'Emergency Medical Representatives Meeting,' Lee Pil-su, president of the Korean Medical Association, stated, "If the government announces unilaterally, the responsibility for the collapse of essential medical care and regional healthcare, as well as the medical vacuum in our country that will follow, will lie entirely with the government that has brutally betrayed its promises and trust with the medical community." He added, "We will face a stronger struggle than the strike in 2020." The meeting was attended by the Korean Medical Association, presidents of 16 city and provincial medical associations nationwide, the Korean Intern Resident Association, and the Korean Private Practitioners Association presidents, among others.

Doctors attending the "Emergency Medical Representatives Meeting" held on the 17th are opposing the government's unilateral push to increase the number of medical school admissions.

The Korean Medical Association and the Ministry of Health and Welfare agreed on September 4, 2020, through a medical-government agreement to discuss the issue of medical school admissions in the 'medical-government consultative body' after the stabilization of COVID-19. The Korean Medical Association claims that the government promised not to push the medical school admission policy unilaterally.

President Lee Pil-su said, "If the government decides on the medical school admission policy arbitrarily without sufficient discussion and agreement with the medical community, it is a clear violation of the September 4 medical-government agreement," and added, "It is a brutal trampling of the medical community's trust in the government."

Through the 'Medical Community Representatives' Resolution,' the Korean Medical Association urged, "The government must keep its 2020 promise not to unilaterally enforce the medical school admission policy." They also emphasized that the government must listen to the voices of the medical community to prepare effective and fundamental measures to revive the collapsing essential and regional medical care.

On the same day, Park Sung-min, chairman of the Korean Medical Association's delegate council, diagnosed, "The priority is to establish extraordinary measures to resolve the imbalance in essential and regional medical care, and increasing medical school admissions is a secondary issue." Chairman Park pointed out, "The government demands an increase in doctors as a means to save essential medical care and resolve regional medical imbalances, but increasing medical school admissions will never solve the problem," adding, "It takes at least 10 years to become a doctor, and even after becoming a doctor in 10 years, under these circumstances, essential medical care will never be supported."

He continued, "If the government pushes forward with the announcement to increase medical school admissions, we will respond with strong, all-out measures following the will of our members," and urged, "We call on the government to discuss future steps and procedures agreed upon with the medical community."