The government has announced its plan to establish support measures so that doctors trained in local areas can work in those respective regions.
On the 13th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held a regional tour meeting at Busan City Hall with the president of the Busan Hospital Association, heads of local university hospitals, and others to discuss measures for innovation in regional and essential medical care.
Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong explained measures to improve the working conditions of medical personnel, including residents, at this meeting. First, the workforce structure will be improved so that hospitals operate centered on specialists with sufficient clinical capabilities. The compensation system and various personnel policies will be improved, and good jobs will also be expanded. The inpatient specialist system will strengthen compensation in a way that enhances the quality of inpatient services, in line with its original purpose.
Additionally, there is a plan to reduce the continuous working hours of hospital residents so that they can focus on their training. Through consultations with the hospital sector, a pilot application of this plan will be considered at some training hospitals. The quality of the training environment will also be improved. The role of supervising specialists who train residents will be strengthened, and regional clinical education training centers will be expanded to all national university hospitals so that high-quality education and training can be received regardless of training conditions.
A dedicated channel for protecting the rights and interests of residents will be established to support residents in receiving safe training. Also, there will be periodic surveys on residents’ working conditions and training environments. The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to increase the participation of resident members in the Training Environment Evaluation Committee, which is the main body for resident policies.
Regarding the medical schools of Pusan National University and Dong-A University in the Busan area, the Ministry also listens to field opinions on the effect of regional settlement related to selecting more than 80% of freshmen through the regional talent admission track. The Ministry is considering expanding the regional talent admission track as one way to prevent the collapse of local medical care.
Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong said, "To solve the shortage of doctors in regional and essential medical care, it is very important to create conditions that allow doctors to focus on their work along with expanding the medical workforce," and added, "We will actively promote various policy alternatives to revive regional and essential medical care."
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