– Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Monday it is impossible to amend the planned increase in the medical school admission quota for next year and the government will launch a new body to estimate the shortage of doctors.

The government decided to raise the medical school seats by around 1,500 for 2025 as part of its plan to increase the number of the students by around 2,000 over the next five years or so to address the shortage of doctors.

The plan caused a majority of trainee doctors to leave their workplaces in the form of a mass resignation since February, and doctors have demanded that the government withdraw the plan altogether and discuss the matter from scratch.

“It is impossible to discuss the 2025 quota,” Cho told a press briefing, while stressing that the government is ready to have talks with doctors on all other issues.

“Now is the time to resolve the conflict between the government and the medical community. Please trust the government’s sincerity,” Cho said.

Calls have grown, even from t
he ruling People Power Party, for the government to exert flexibility to resolve the standoff with the medical community and worsening medical system disruptions, but the presidential office has refused to adjust the 2025 quota and instead said it would revisit the quota hike plan for 2026 and beyond. In an effort to seek a breakthrough, the government will establish a new committee within this year to be tasked with estimating the required number of health care workers for the future.

“The new body will use various data and calculation systems to estimate staffing in a scientific and professional way,” Cho said.

“It will also have a tool for collecting various opinions from parties concerned over the course of discussions,” he added.

The envisioned entity will consist of subcommittees, each composed of 13 members including seven experts, in various health care professions, including physicians, nurses, dentists and traditional Korean medicine, according to the ministry.

Officials have said the committee
will use data on the number of medical graduates, population demographics and health insurance statistics, among other things, and will grant a majority of the nomination rights to experts and doctors’ groups to incorporate their demands.

Doctors say the quota hike will not address the shortage of doctors in rural areas and essential health care fields, and it will compromise the quality of medical education and ultimately the country’s medical services.

Source: Yonhap News Agency