Jeonnam Province "Medical School Establishment Absolutely Necessary in Areas Without Medical Schools"

Ministry of Health and Welfare Announces Consensus on 'Essential Medical Policy Package' Reform Direction

Province Also Implements Health and Medical Response Plan... Actively Expands Medical Infrastructure

Jeonnam Province has stated that the establishment of a medical school in regions without one is an essential prerequisite for expanding medical personnel and strengthening regional healthcare, which are core aspects of the government's medical reform.

The province expressed agreement with the reform direction of the "Essential Medical Policy Package" announced by the government on the 1st at the Livelihood Forum as a fundamental solution to revive essential medical services.

From the perspective of Jeonnam, a region without a medical school, expanding medical personnel through measures such as "increasing medical school quotas, expanding regional talent admissions, and introducing a regional essential doctor system" is practically impossible. It also appears that the realization of the essential medical policy package announced by the government cannot be guaranteed.

The regional essential medical policy package announced by the government includes ▲sufficient expansion of medical personnel ▲strengthening regional healthcare ▲establishment of a medical accident safety net ▲enhancement of fairness in the medical fee compensation system.

In particular, it focuses on fundamental response plans to overcome the collapse of essential medical services in local areas and to normalize the unfair ecosystem structure between essential and non-essential medical fields, presenting four major medical reform policy packages that actively reflect the voices from medical sites nationwide.

Jeonnam Province has been promoting various health and medical policies such as establishing a public-private medical institution cooperation system, expanding medical personnel, fostering health institutions, and providing medical services in vulnerable areas to secure the lives and health rights of its residents ahead of the government's essential medical policy.

Additionally, in line with the government's announcement of the essential medical policy package, it is known that the province plans to actively propose to the government the inclusion of regional essential medical policies such as "confirmation of the establishment of a national medical school, improvement of the emergency medical institution evaluation system in vulnerable areas, relaxation of designation criteria for Dalbit Children's Hospital, and easing of requirements for designation as a responsible medical institution."

Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, said, "While the gap in essential regional medical services is accelerating, the government's recent policy announcement is like a timely rain, but it has made the necessity of establishing a national medical school in Jeonnam even clearer," adding, "The government's announcement on increasing medical school quotas should include the establishment of a joint single medical school for the Jeonnam area in the 2026 or 2027 academic year."

He continued, "The establishment of a medical school is the way to secure the life and health rights of residents in medically vulnerable areas standing on the brink," and added, "It will be a definite signal for medical reform."