Yoon Dong-seop, Yonsei University President: "Medical School Professors Oppose Enrollment Increase... Doing Our Best to Normalize Hospital"

Policy to Convey Opinions to the Ministry of Education
Severance Surgery Reduced by Half

Yoon Dong-seop, President of Yonsei University, stated on the 4th, "It is true that the entire faculty meeting of the College of Medicine is strongly requesting the university not to increase the medical school quota," but he also mentioned that even if a final decision is not reached, they plan to submit their opinion by the Ministry of Education's deadline for the medical school quota increase application.

Yoon Dong-seop, President of Yonsei University, is speaking at a press conference held on the 4th at the President's Residence on Yonsei University's Sinchon Campus.
[Photo by Yonsei University]

At a press conference held at the President's Residence on Yonsei University's Sinchon Campus in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, President Yoon said, "The documents required to apply for the medical school quota have been prepared. Discussions on the specific numbers, such as the scale of the increase, are expected to continue until late in the evening."

The Ministry of Education plans to complete the demand survey for quota increases by today for 40 universities operating medical schools, but Yonsei University has not yet decided on the specific scale. Yonsei University intends to have the medical school submit a coordinated opinion, which will then be discussed between the Academic Affairs Office and the President for a final decision. The government currently expects the total number of quota increase applications to exceed 2,000. The exact scale is expected to be clarified after the 5th.

President Yoon added, "The deans' opinion is that there was insufficient time to thoroughly review how many people can be accommodated in the increase," and "The College of Medicine is expressing a desire to have the deadline extended."

President Yoon also expressed concern about the prolonged medical service gap. He said, "Currently, the intern quota is about 150, but as of the 1st of this month, only three people have signed contracts," and "I am worried about how long the current professors can endure this situation."

According to Yonsei University, Severance Hospital is currently maintaining outpatient services at about 15-20% and inpatient rooms at 50-60% capacity. Surgeries have reportedly decreased by about half. President Yoon emphasized, "I hope this situation will be resolved soon so that hospital operations can normalize and patients do not have to suffer inconvenience," and "We will do our best to ensure the normalization of hospital operations and medical services."

Although the government-set deadline for residents to return to medical practice passed on the 29th of last month, the return movement remains minimal. According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the doctors' collective action, as of 5 p.m. on the 29th of last month, 565 residents had returned to medical practice at 100 major training hospitals. The number of residents who left their workplaces was 8,945 (71.8%), meaning only 6% of the total have returned to the field.