"Domestic Demand for Korean Medicine Decreases... Market Saturation"
Handaehyeop Opposes: "Korean Medicine Colleges Should Not Shrink"
The Korean Medicine Doctors Association (KMD Association) has proposed to the government a plan to convert a portion of the admission quota of Korean medicine colleges into medical school quotas. They are asking for Korean medicine colleges to be utilized as an alternative to increasing medical school quotas.
Students of the Department of Korean Medicine at Daegu Haany University. [Photo by Daegu Haany University]
On the 2nd, Hong Ju-ui, president of the KMD Association, proposed at the Health and Medical Policy Deliberation Committee (HMPDC) hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare a plan to convert selected provincial Korean medicine colleges into medical schools, as well as a plan to convert part of the admission quota of Korean medicine colleges at universities that have both medical and Korean medicine schools into medical school quotas.
Regarding the plan to convert selected provincial Korean medicine colleges into medical schools, President Hong stated, "If provincial Korean medicine colleges can be converted into medical schools, there will be some private provincial Korean medicine colleges willing to do so." Since the government is promoting the expansion of medical school quotas with the aim of revitalizing essential and regional healthcare, the proposal is to utilize provincial Korean medicine colleges to support regional healthcare.
It is interpreted as adding a portion of the approximately 800 annual admissions (including those beyond the quota) of Korean medicine colleges to the medical school quota, which has been capped at 3,058 for 17 years. Currently, there are a total of 12 universities with Korean medicine colleges in South Korea, 10 of which are located in provinces except for Kyung Hee University and Gachon University.
Another plan proposed by President Hong to expand medical school quotas using Korean medicine colleges is to convert part of the Korean medicine college quotas into medical school quotas at the four universities that have both medical and Korean medicine schools: Kyung Hee University, Dongguk University, Pusan National University, and Wonkwang University. If the minimum number of 40 students required to operate a Korean medicine college is subtracted from these four colleges’ quotas and the remainder is added to the medical school quotas, the medical school quota would increase by 160 students.
The Korean medicine community has expressed a stance to reduce the admission quotas of Korean medicine colleges because they see the market as saturated due to declining domestic demand for Korean traditional medical services. The proportion of Korean traditional medical care in medical expenses paid by the National Health Insurance has decreased from 4.2% in 2014 to 3.1% last year.
KMD Association’s "Convert Part of Korean Medicine College Quotas to Medical Schools" Statement Receives 'Positive' Response from KMA
The Korean Medical Association (KMA) has also shown a positive response to the plan to convert part of the Korean medicine college admission quotas into medical school quotas. Since the government is strongly committed to expanding medical school quotas, the idea of reducing the number of Korean medicine doctors, who have been competing with doctors for dominance, to increase medical school quotas is not seen as a bad option.
Previously, doctors and Korean medicine doctors have had conflicts in various parts of the medical community over the use of modern diagnostic devices by Korean medicine doctors, amid rapid changes in the healthcare environment such as ▲an increase in chronic disease patients in the aging era ▲introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution ▲the COVID-19 pandemic.
The KMA has long argued that if medical school quota expansion is necessary, it should be done by reducing Korean medicine college quotas. They have also voiced that to resolve conflicts between doctors and Korean medicine doctors caused by the dual medical system of Western medicine and Korean medicine, as well as to reduce the burden of medical expenses on the public, medical education should be unified (single-track medical school education).
Meanwhile, the Korean Medicine College Deans’ Council opposes the plan to transfer part of the Korean medicine college quotas to medical schools, stating that "they cannot accept the contraction of Korean medicine colleges." The Korean Medicine College Deans’ Council is expected to announce an official position soon.
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