Gov't renews call for restraint over med school quota hike, while doctors vow to block
Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo speaks during a briefing held in governmental complex, Jung District, Seoul, Feb. 13. Yonhap
The health ministry on Wednesday renewed its call for trainee doctors to avert collective action in protest of a plan to boost seats at medical schools, while a major business lobby of doctors vowed to block the plan "at any cost."
Doctors and the government have appeared to be on a collision course over last week's decision to add 2,000 to the country's medical school enrollment quota next year, a sharp rise from the current 3,058 seats.
"The government will improve the working environment of young doctors. We urge trainee doctors and medical students to focus their energy on training and studying," Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters.
The government has warned that it would take stern measures against any collective action by doctors over the plan to boost medical students, hinting that it could revoke their licenses.
Cho Ji-ho, the chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, reiterated such warnings during a press briefing Wednesday, saying the police will take necessary measures in case of "illegal acts beyond the level tolerable by the public."
"We respect the process of an important national policy reaching consensus, but the police cannot overlook such acts when they cross the legal line," the Seoul police chief said, adding they will carefully monitor and brace for any conduct led by the doctors.
Kim Taek-woo, leader of the Korean Medical Association's emergency committee, speaks at a press conference, Feb. 14. Yonhap
Although the government says the hike in the medical enrollment quota is needed to address a shortage of doctors in rural areas and essential medical fields, doctors say such a hike may aggravate problems associated with an oversupply of medical personnel in the market.
The Korean Medical Association (KMA), a major lobbying group of doctors, said its emergency committee will convene a meeting Saturday to map out plans against the planned hike in medical students.
"We will stop the government's unjustifiable push to raise the medical school quota at any cost," Kim Taek-woo, who leads the KMA's emergency committee, told reporters.
"While the government argues that the country's number of doctors per 1,000 people falls behind the OECD average, there are no actual consequences caused by this shortage," Kim said.
According to the data compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the number of doctors for every 1,000 people came to 2.6 in Korea in 2021, far below the member countries' average of 3.7.
Kim said raising the number of seats for medical school freshmen would also lead to a decline in the quality of education.
The KMA, however, refrained from disclosing specific measures to protest the government's decision, emphasizing its current focus on raising awareness among Koreans of the irregularities in the government's decision.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Korean Nurses Association said it supports the government's decision to increase the number of medical school freshmen while urging doctors to refrain from leaving hospitals in protest. (Yonhap)