65% of Nationwide Intern Quotas Over 10 Years Allocated to Capital Area
Intern Quotas for Gangwon Graduates Only 25.9%
"A Virtuous Cycle of Regional Medical Schools, Training, and Employment Must Continue"
It has been pointed out that even if medical students graduate from local universities, the number of intern positions is smaller than in the metropolitan area, encouraging young doctors to leave.
Gap in Intern Quotas Between Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Areas Widens
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health and Welfare to Shin Hyun-young, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, about 65.2% of the nationwide intern quotas over the past 10 years from 2014 to this year were allocated to the metropolitan area.
The gap between regions became clear when looking at the ratio of intern quotas to the number of medical school graduates. In the metropolitan area, the intern quota over 10 years was 21,239, greatly exceeding the number of graduates, which was 13,592. The intern quota reached 156.3% of the number of graduates.
On the other hand, in non-metropolitan areas, the intern quotas were far insufficient compared to the number of graduates. The ratio of intern quotas to graduates was ▲Yeongnam region 77.0% ▲Honam region 51.8% ▲Chungcheong region 51.7% ▲Jeju region 42.2% ▲Gangwon region 25.9%, in that order. In particular, Gangwon produced 2,760 graduates over 10 years, but the intern quota was only 714.
It is analyzed that even after graduating from medical schools in local areas, the small number of intern quotas causes doctors to move to the metropolitan area. The rate of those who graduated from metropolitan medical schools but did their internship in other regions was 2.6%, whereas in Gangwon, the rate of interns working in other regions reached 73.7%.
Assembly member Shin said, "Even if students graduate from medical schools in local areas, the lack of intern quotas that can be accommodated in those areas structurally worsens the 'concentration of doctors in the metropolitan area.' It is necessary to build infrastructure to create a virtuous cycle structure where graduates from local medical schools continue their residency training and employment in the region."
Government Pushes for Medical School Quotas... Korean Medical Association and Government in Standoff
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced in the 'Essential Medical Care Innovation Strategy' released last October that it will foster excellent regional general hospitals and strengthen regional essential medical care networks overseen by national university hospitals to prevent the collapse of regional and essential medical care.
Additionally, the ministry stated its plan to continuously expand the selection of local talents so that students who grow up in the region can enter medical schools and develop into local doctors. On the 21st of last month, it conducted a 'medical school quota demand survey' at 40 medical schools nationwide while promoting an increase in medical school quotas.
On the other hand, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) opposed the government's push to increase medical school quotas and began a vote on whether to hold a general strike (collective suspension of medical services) starting from the 11th. In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "We will continue sincere dialogue with the medical community, but we will strictly respond to illegal collective actions according to law and principles," standing firm in a strong confrontation.
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