KMA to Submit Opposition to National Assembly and Ministry of Health and Welfare
The Korean Medical Association (KMA) has argued that a bill proposed in the National Assembly, which would require medical students selected through the regional doctor and public doctor admissions track to serve a mandatory ten-year term after obtaining their licenses, may be unconstitutional.
On September 18, the KMA announced during a regular briefing that it plans to submit its opposition to the "Special Act to Strengthen Essential Medical Services and Address Regional Healthcare Disparities," sponsored by Assemblywoman Lee Sujin of the Democratic Party of Korea, to the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
The KMA emphasized, "To resolve the shortage of medical personnel in essential and regional healthcare fields, it is necessary to create an environment where medical professionals voluntarily choose to work in these areas, rather than imposing temporary mandatory service obligations."
The association argued that, given the precedent of similar programs such as the Public Health Scholarship Program effectively failing due to a lack of applicants, the regional and public doctor system is unlikely to secure sufficient personnel. Furthermore, they claimed that the ten-year mandatory service period could significantly infringe on the constitutional rights to freedom of occupation and freedom of residence and movement, thus raising concerns of unconstitutionality.
The KMA added, "In particular, excluding the period of residency training after obtaining a medical license, the actual mandatory service period is only about five years. This is merely a temporary measure that cannot prevent the outflow of personnel after ten years and does not constitute a fundamental solution."
The "Special Act to Strengthen Essential Medical Services and Address Regional Healthcare Disparities," previously introduced in the National Assembly, centers on requiring the government and local governments to establish and implement a comprehensive plan every three years to strengthen essential medical services and address regional healthcare disparities, as well as to systematically promote the training of relevant personnel.
It also includes provisions requiring universities offering medical, dental, and Korean medicine programs to select a certain proportion of students through the regional doctor admissions track. These students would receive national scholarships and, upon graduation, be required to serve for ten years at medical institutions designated by the Minister of Health and Welfare.
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