[2024 National Audit] Medical School Quota Expansion by 2,000? Researchers Propose "Gradual Increase"

Shin Young-seok, Research Fellow at Bosayeon, "Proposes Long-Term Approach Considering Educational Conditions"
Kwon Jung-hyun, KDI Research Fellow, "Gradual Increase Also Involves Costs"

The researchers who prepared the physician workforce supply and demand projection report, which the government referred to in the process of preparing the medical school quota expansion plan, revealed that they proposed a gradual increase in medical school quotas to the government.

Shin Young-seok, Honorary Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, is attending the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit on the 8th and responding to questions from Nam In-soon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
[Photo by National Assembly Broadcasting]

On the 8th, at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee’s audit, Shin Young-seok, Honorary Research Fellow at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, responded to a question from Nam In-soon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking, "Do you think pushing for an increase of 2,000 is scientific?" by saying, "I have consistently expressed that it would be better to have a more gradual increase rather than increasing by 2,000 every year for five years."

Research Fellow Shin is the lead researcher of one of the three reports the government referred to when drafting the medical school quota expansion plan, which stated that there would be a shortage of 10,000 doctors by 2035.

Shin said, "Rather than increasing by 2,000 over five years, I proposed increasing by 1,000 over ten years," adding, "If you increase by 2,000 over five years, it is difficult to evaluate the policy before the medical students enter the university and come out into the (medical) market, so I have suggested taking a long-term approach to educational conditions."

He also said, "However, if researchers express their opinions, the final decision is made by the government," and pointed out, "Now is not the time to blame the government or residents. Ultimately, the public and patients are suffering."

On the same day, Kwon Jung-hyun, Research Fellow at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), also attended the audit as a witness and stated, "The report proposed a gradual increase."

Research Fellow Kwon added, "I made such a proposal considering that there might be difficulties in responding when the number of medical students increases rapidly in educational and training environments."

He said, "I think there is a significant difference between the policies researchers think of and the various policy tools the government has, such as how to allocate resources to create an environment," and added, "Considering various factors, a gradual increase inevitably involves costs comparable to those of increasing 2,000 at once."

Kwon also said, "When initially increasing by 300 and then adding 200 more to increase by 500, if you consider whether conflicts or backlash like this would not occur, I have doubts about whether this can be a policy that settles down smoothly."

The researchers emphasized that to resolve the current medical dispute, it is most important to persuade doctors to come to the discussion table.

Research Fellow Shin said, "The opinions of doctors working in clinical fields are very important," and added, "Because we are discussing problems accumulated over the past 20 to 30 years all at once, although this is a crisis phase now, it could also be a window of opportunity."

Research Fellow Kwon said, "Through the structural reforms the government is promoting, it is necessary to sufficiently discuss how much more medical personnel will be needed, persuading doctors so that they can come to the discussion table."