Medical Community: "Medical School Expansion Should Be Suspended Until Supreme Court Decision Is Made"

Medical Community Urges Judiciary to Exercise Litigation Directive for 'Suspension of Administrative Procedures'
"Rapid Increase in Medical School Admissions, Collapse of Medical Education... Difficulties in Faculty Appointments"

The medical community has urged the judiciary to exercise its authority to direct the suspension of the increase in medical school admissions until the court issues a ruling on the request for a stay of execution regarding the increase and distribution of medical school quotas.

Kim Jong-il, Chairman of the Seoul National University College of Medicine Professors' Association, is making a statement at the "Joint Press Conference to Prevent the Medical Education Crisis" held on the 27th at the Korean Medical Association Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
Photo by Choi Taewon peaceful1@

The Korean Association of Medical School Professors (KAMSP) and the Korean Medical Association (KMA) held a joint press conference titled "Joint Press Conference to Prevent the Collapse of Medical Education" on the 27th at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where they made this announcement. Jo Yoon-jung, chairperson of the Korea University Medical School Professors Association, stated through the KAMSP statement, "We ask the presidents of the 32 universities to suspend the announcement of university admission guidelines until the Seoul High Court issues decisions on three appeals and the Supreme Court issues a final ruling on one re-appeal," adding, "We urge the judiciary to exercise its authority to suspend administrative procedures until the Supreme Court's final decision to prevent the collapse of medical education on the ground."

Claims were also made that the sudden increase in medical school admissions would collapse medical education. Kim Jong-il, chairperson of the Seoul National University Medical School Professors Association, said, "An increase of more than 10% in 30 medical schools would be fatal to medical education," and added, "A survey showed that a private university with a moderate increase would need 40.3 billion KRW over the next six years for equipment purchases and expansion of educational facilities."

Concerns were raised about the impossibility of appointing basic medical science professors to teach the increased number of medical students. "For a university with an increase, 52 new professors are needed, including 12 basic medical science professors," he said, questioning, "Even one medical school needs 12 basic medical science professors; where will they find them for all 30 universities? Quoting another professor, do they fall from the sky?"

He continued, "In the past three years, only 118 MD-qualified basic science professors have been appointed nationwide, which is less than 40 per year," and added, "Currently, there are only 104 MD basic medical science graduate students nationwide."

He also called for the withdrawal of the increase plan, arguing that it would be difficult to prepare the conditions for medical education for the increased quota. He said, "How can they teach when they are not actually prepared to do so?" and predicted "temporary buildings, tents, online classes, abolition of group classes, abolition of practical exams, replacement of dissection practice with videos, abolition of standardized patients, and replacement of hospital practice with virtual patients, and I want to ask if there is even a seat for interns in hospitals." He also said, "No land has been secured for new buildings, and there is no way to secure cadavers for dissection."

He added, "We request the government to withdraw the unplanned, impulsive, and unrealistic rapid increase plan even now," and said, "We earnestly ask the judiciary to make a wise judgment to prevent the production of incompetent doctors."

Medical legal representative Lawyer Lee Byung-chul is answering questions from the press at the 'Joint Press Conference to Prevent the Collapse of Medical Education' held on the 27th at the Korean Medical Association Hall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Choi Tae-won peaceful1@

Criticism was also raised regarding the decision-making process for increasing medical school admissions. Oh Se-ok, chairperson of the Busan Medical School Professors Association, claimed, "The government did not conduct on-site inspections for 18 medical schools, and even for the 14 medical schools that were inspected, the dedicated team composed of non-experts conducted a sloppy inspection within 30 minutes to 3 hours."

Concerns were also raised that the government is delaying the trial while the Supreme Court hearing has begun. Lee Byung-chul, a lawyer representing the medical school increase lawsuit (from the law firm Chanjong), said, "The government has not received the re-appeal petition or the reasons for the re-appeal, which were submitted to the court over a week ago," adding, "This is a typical method of delaying the trial."

He continued, "The government is aiming for a dismissal after 30 days because if the admission guidelines are announced this week, irreversible damage will occur to examinees due to established facts," and said, "In a situation where the Supreme Court hearing has already started, delaying the process to avoid the Supreme Court's judgment is not a fair attitude for a government pursuing important medical reform."

He added, "Whether the Supreme Court can make a final decision within this week depends on the Supreme Court's discretion."