“We have not intended to review the Korean Medical Association (KMA)’s suggestion for a one-year halt on expanding medical schools and will continue to hold this stance in the future as well,” South Korea’s presidential office stated in a briefing regarding the expansion of 2,000 medical school seats on Apr. 8. The official also mentioned, “If the medical community presents scientific and rational grounds, along with a unified opinion, we are open to discussing it,” adding, “We are prepared to approach it with an open mind.”
Throughout the day, there was a significant debate between the government and the medical community regarding the proposal to postpone the medical student increase for one year. The controversy sparked when Vice Minister of Health and Welfare Park Min-soo mentioned during a morning briefing that they would “internally review” the proposal to discuss recruiting more medical students again after a one-year moratorium. Park also said, “It is not impossible to alter the extent of the increase before the recruitment guidelines for new students are finalized.” His statement was widely perceived by many in and outside of the medical community as an indication of the government’s flexibility on the issue.
As the situation escalated, the government took action in the afternoon. Following the presidential office’s lead, the Ministry of Health and Welfare held an emergency briefing, clarifying its position. “The governmental measure to raise med school admissions quota by 2,000 was derived through a thorough review based on scientific research and a full and extensive discussion with the medical community,” the ministry said, adding, “The government has not internally reviewed the one-year delay of its plan, nor has it determined whether such a review will occur in the future.”
The government also discussed ways to improve the actual expense health insurance program, which was cited as a factor that adds to the distortion of the medical system. Starting this month, all hospitals, including those at the clinic level, must report the details and costs of non-compensated care to health authorities. If a patient has been previously diagnosed and prescribed certain medications for a prolonged period, doctors can prescribe them without requiring a checkup.
Meanwhile, Asan Medical Center announced that it will accept voluntary employee retirement applications until Apr. 19. This is the first voluntary retirement program among the so-called “big five” hospitals in South Korea since the medical crisis. Those eligible for voluntary retirement are non-doctors and employees aged 50 or older with over 20 years of service as of Dec. 31 this year. Asan Medical Center has been in an emergency management system since Mar. 15. “Voluntary retirement has been conducted following the hospital’s operations and circumstances, and similar measures were also implemented in 2019 and 2021,” the hospital said.
