Presidential Office: "Conservative Estimate of 2,000 Medical School Quota Increase"... Urges Restraint in Collective Actions (Comprehensive)

Request for Cooperation from the Medical Community
Consideration of Work Commencement Orders and License Revocation in Case of Collective Action

Sung Tae-yoon, Chief of Policy Office at the Presidential Office, is giving a briefing on medical school expansion on the afternoon of the 8th at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Presidential Office stated on the 8th that the government's plan to increase medical school quotas by 2,000 is a very conservative estimate compared to demand. Addressing the medical community, which has strongly opposed the expansion of medical school quotas and announced a general strike immediately after the Lunar New Year holiday, the office requested restraint from collective action, saying, "Please consider this together for the future of the Republic of Korea."

On the same day, Sung Tae-yoon, the Director of the Policy Office, told reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office, "Starting next year, we plan to increase medical school quotas by 2,000, resulting in an increase of 10,000 doctors by 2035, but even with this estimate, there is still a shortage of 5,000 doctors."

According to the Presidential Office, President Yoon Suk-yeol held a senior secretaries meeting that day, received a report on the medical community's announced collective action regarding the expansion of medical school quotas, and instructed, "Explain the necessity and purpose of expanding medical school quotas in detail to the public under the current circumstances."

Director Sung emphasized, "Considering the increase in medical demand due to aging and regional clinical needs, the demand for doctors can increase significantly," adding, "This is a very conservative estimate." The government plans to periodically estimate the demand for medical personnel.

He explained, "Doctors who conduct clinical research alongside advanced medical fields are key to properly fostering these areas," and lamented, "While major countries overseas such as the United States, Japan, France, and the United Kingdom have steadily increased medical school quotas to address aging and infectious disease responses, we have maintained a state where medical school quotas have decreased for a long time."

Director Sung said, "Since the increase in 1998, the quota has not increased by a single person for 27 years; rather, after the separation of prescribing and dispensing medicines, the number was reduced by 351 to 3,058," adding, "This decrease has been maintained for 19 years, and if accumulated, the number reaches about 7,000."

Sung Tae-yoon: "The Challenge of Medical School Quotas Has Been Delayed for 30 Years by Successive Governments"

He also expressed concern, saying, "Successive governments have only postponed the difficult issue of expanding medical school quotas for over 30 years, causing the public to suffer from doctor shortages manifested in emergency room overcrowding, pediatric department rushes, and medical tourism," adding, "Korean healthcare is heading toward a serious situation."

Director Sung diagnosed, "On one hand, by 2035, doctors aged 70 or older will account for 20%, indicating an aging medical workforce itself," and said, "The situation is threatened from both demand and supply sides."

He pointed out, "The shortage of doctors is even more severe in local areas, and the collapse of the medical system could cause serious concerns for the lives and safety of local residents," adding, "Excessive working hours and burnout in essential medical fields are closely related to the shortage of doctors."

Director Sung earnestly requested the medical community's cooperation, saying, "If we do not correct the collapsing medical system and prepare for the future even now, there will be no future for the Republic of Korea," and "I sincerely ask the medical community to think together and participate for the future of Korea."

Another official from the Presidential Office also said, "I believe doctors prioritize protecting the lives and health of the people, so we expect them to sufficiently refrain from collective action," but explained that measures such as work commencement orders or license cancellations are also being considered in case the medical community proceeds with collective action.

The official said, "The Central Accident Response Headquarters has established emergency medical measures to prepare for any possible medical service gaps," adding, "Since the announcement of the medical school quota expansion on the 6th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has raised the healthcare crisis level two steps from 'interest' to 'alert'."

He continued, "Measures such as work commencement orders or license cancellations have not been implemented at this stage because collective action has not occurred or materialized," adding, "However, we are reviewing and fully preparing for such possibilities."