'Medical Workforce Supply and Demand Estimation Committee' Holds First Meeting Today to Decide Medical School Admissions for the Year After Next

Eight of Fifteen Committee Members Recommended by Physician Organizations

The Medical Workforce Supply and Demand Estimation Committee will hold its inaugural meeting to begin full-scale discussions on mid- to long-term projections for the supply and demand of physicians, including the size of medical school admissions for the year after next.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that on the afternoon of August 12, it would convene the first meeting of the Supply and Demand Estimation Committee at a location in Jung-gu, Seoul, with Vice Minister Lee Hyunghoon and others in attendance, to elect the committee chair and discuss the future schedule for committee operations.

The Supply and Demand Estimation Committee was established in response to demands from the medical community for scientific projections of workforce supply and demand, amid conflicts between the government and the medical profession triggered by the Yoon Suk-yeol administration's policy to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 students last year. In April, the government amended the Framework Act on Health and Medical Services to require the establishment of independent workforce estimation committees directly under the Minister of Health and Welfare for each professional group. Among these, the committee for physicians was launched first to address the issue of increasing medical school admissions.

Accordingly, on July 31, the Ministry of Health and Welfare appointed 15 members to the committee and announced the start of its operations. Of the 15 members, more than half?eight?were recommended by healthcare provider organizations such as the Korean Medical Association, the Korean Intern Resident Association, and the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. Four members were recommended by demand-side organizations, including patient, labor, and consumer groups, and three were recommended by academic societies and research institutes. The chairperson will be elected from among the members recommended by academic societies and research institutes.

The committee’s meeting minutes, agendas, and estimation results will be made public in accordance with the law. A Medical Workforce Supply and Demand Estimation Center will be newly established within the Health and Medical Policy Research Division of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs to provide support. The Ministry of Health and Welfare expects that this committee structure will enhance the expertise, independence, and transparency of the estimations, as well as the public acceptance of the results.

Starting with its first meeting, the committee will begin in-depth discussions on specific matters such as the models, methods, assumptions, and variables for mid- to long-term projections of physician workforce supply and demand. With next year’s medical school admissions returning to the pre-increase level of 3,058 students, the admissions quota for 2027 will be determined by April next year, based on the committee’s discussions.