[Inside Chodong]Only Wounds Remain from Medical School Expansion... The Real Reform Starts Now

Conflict Sparked by Rash Policy Push
Government’s Missteps Lead to Chaos, Responsibility Evaded
Healthcare Reform Returns to Square One

With the number of medical school admissions for next year finalized at 3,058, the controversial '2,000 additional medical students' plan that caused great turmoil in our society for over a year has effectively been nullified. Although it was an unavoidable decision to normalize medical education, the government, which had promised to increase medical school quotas and achieve healthcare reform to prevent the collapse of essential and regional medical services, cannot avoid criticism for retreating after hitting a wall with the medical community. Patient groups immediately expressed outrage, saying, "The medical community's claim that the government cannot defeat doctors has been confirmed." Did the doctors really win?

The government's sudden announcement last February of the plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 was a misstep from the start. There was no concrete evidence or data to support the necessity of such a large-scale increase. In response to the government's reckless expansion, residents and medical students collectively resigned and took leaves of absence, pushing the medical field into a crisis.

The greatest suffering was borne by patients and the public. Severely ill patients were unable to receive treatment and had to wander from one hospital emergency room to another, and even scheduled surgeries were postponed. Although the volume of care at tertiary hospitals has recovered to 90% of pre-conflict levels this year, it seems difficult to return to the world-class efficiency the healthcare system once boasted. The financial resources already invested to maintain emergency medical services amid the healthcare gap have exceeded 3.5 trillion won.

The medical community also suffered serious damage. The collective action of doctors holding patients hostage failed to gain public support. The public was deeply disappointed by the harsh remarks of young doctors posted anonymously online and by medical students monitoring their peers’ return to classes. Residents who left to find their own paths faced humiliation as 'targets for punishment' during the impeachment crisis, and the medical students of the class of 2025 were labeled as 'beneficiaries of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration's medical school expansion.' Now demonized with terms like 'ultimate selfishness' and 'vested interests,' it is embarrassing to ask these individuals for sacrifices and a spirit of service like Schweitzer or to urge cooperation with government policies. Who will doctors listen to from now on?

The government itself has become the most ridiculous figure. At the beginning of the medical-government conflict, the Ministry of Health and Welfare strongly pushed for the expansion, warning residents that 'legal procedures will follow if work commencement orders are not complied with.' However, as opposition from the medical field intensified, it backed down and promised not to punish those who returned. The Ministry of Education, until just last month, promised to revert next year’s medical school admissions to pre-expansion levels on the condition that all medical students return, but despite a return rate of only 26%, it quietly reinstated the expansion, saying it 'believes many students will come back.' Above all, with no one responsible for the rapidly changing healthcare policies, how can the medical community or the public trust and follow the government’s words?

Ultimately, the medical school expansion will have to be reconsidered from scratch by the next administration. Although the policy appears temporarily withdrawn, the core issues remain unresolved. The shortage of doctors in regional and essential medical fields persists, and the structure where young doctors flock only to 'profitable' specialties like dermatology or orthopedics remains unchanged. Nevertheless, neither the public, doctors, nor the government can give up on healthcare reform without any achievements, bearing only wounds. To prevent the self-destruction of Korean healthcare, it is time to seek genuine reform measures that prioritize public health above political gains or group interests.