Medical Students' Active Duty Enlistment Surges... Decrease in Public Health Doctors

Assemblywoman Choo Mi-ae: "Only 716 Public Health Doctors This Year, a 35% Decrease"

As the number of medical students enlisting for active duty increases, the number of new public health doctors this year has decreased by about 35.7% compared to last year.

Choo Mi-ae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at an emergency forum on the promotion of deep-sea oil and gas field exploration and development in the East Sea held at the National Assembly on the 14th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

According to recent data on public health doctors over the past five years obtained by Rep. Chu Mi-ae of the Democratic Party from the Military Manpower Administration on the 6th, 1,114 public health doctors were newly enrolled last year, but this year the number dropped by 35.7% (398 people) to only 716.

This is the lowest number since 2020, when 1,318 new public health doctors were supplied, followed by 1,035 in 2021 and 1,050 in 2022. Accordingly, the total number of public health doctors currently serving also decreased by 10.0% (317 people), from 3,172 last year to 2,855 as of July this year. If a similar trend continues next year, the existing public health doctor force of around 3,000 is expected to decrease to the low 2,000s, according to Rep. Chu’s office.

Rep. Chu said, "Due to the government's irresponsible response, the collapse of regional healthcare has already begun, and the temporary dispatch of public health doctors to the Seoul metropolitan area is accelerating the collapse."