Presidential Office: "Increasing Medical School Quotas by 2,000 Students Remains Necessary"

Seong Tae-yoon Policy Director Briefing
Official Letter Resent on Possible University Enrollment Increase Scale... Deadline April 4

On the 25th, the Presidential Office maintained its stance against calls to reduce the planned increase of medical school admissions from 2,000, stating, "The currently estimated number is still considered necessary." The position is that considering the potential future shortage of doctors, various research, and the educational capacity of medical schools, 2,000 is the minimum required.

At a briefing held at the Yongsan Presidential Office that afternoon, Sung Tae-yoon, the Presidential Office Policy Chief, responded this way when a reporter asked if there was a possibility of lowering the number by coordinating with the medical community.

Sung emphasized, "The increase of 2,000 doctors is based on various estimates and analyses. Basically, the required number of additional doctors is around 3,000, but considering various circumstances, the government is thinking about approximately 2,000."

The government recently sent official letters requesting responses by the 4th of next month from 40 universities that have medical schools, and plans to re-aggregate the possible increase capacity by each university, Sung mentioned. When the government recently inquired about the possible increase capacity from each university, it is known that the universities responded with a minimum of 2,100 and a maximum of 3,500.

Sung explained, "I understand that the Ministry of Education has once again sent official letters nationwide to medical schools to determine how much increase is possible. Currently, about 17 medical schools in Korea are small-scale, with fewer than 50 students. Therefore, for the smooth operation of these medical schools, I believe it is necessary to expand the number of students to some extent."

In particular, Sung added, "This decision reflects the fact that for over 30 years, not a single medical school student quota has been increased, and the cumulative decrease in the number of doctors has reached about 7,000, maintaining the current reduced state."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

When asked whether there is room to open a way out for doctors so that the ongoing standoff between the government and doctors does not prolong, Sung said, "We earnestly ask that (doctors) do not abandon patients and stay by their side," adding, "We also thank the doctors and nurses who are protecting patients even in this situation," indirectly signaling that there will likely be no negotiation to reduce the increase scale.

Sung also added, "We understand that the relevant ministries are now preparing for various situations."

On the 23rd at 8 a.m., the government raised the health and medical disaster alert level from 'caution' to the highest level, 'serious,' and established the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) following the Central Accident Response Headquarters (CARH) to initiate a cross-ministerial response.