Medical School Quota Hike: South Korean Govt ready to hold open discussions

Seoul: South Korean Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong stated on Monday that the government is willing to engage in open discussions regarding the proposed increase in medical school admissions if doctors present a unified and more rational approach.

This comes as about 12,000 trainee doctors nationwide have left their workplaces since February 20 to protest the plan to increase medical school admissions by 2,000 seats next year, causing growing strains on public health services, reports IANS.

While the decision to add 2,000 seats to medical schools was made following scientific research and consultations with the medical community, Cho hinted at the potential for adjusting the magnitude of the quota hike, according to Yonhap.

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"We intend to engage in sincere discussions with the medical community to persuade them and resolve the dispute," Cho told a government response meeting.

According to an IANS news agency, "If (doctors) come up with a more reasonable and unified proposal based on scientific grounds and logic, the government can discuss it in an open manner," he said.

The reform plan has emerged as a hot-button issue for this week's parliamentary elections, with the ruling People Power Party aiming to regain a majority in the National Assembly.  

Medical Dialogues team recently reported that Medical professors in South Korea are preparing to challenge the government's decision to increase medical school admissions, citing concerns over their constitutional rights. The move comes amid ongoing disruptions to the country's medical services, triggered by a plan to add 2,000 new medical students next year to alleviate a shortage of doctors. 

The Medical Professors Association of Korea is scheduled to file the petition with the Constitutional Court before the April 10 general elections against the government's plan to raise the number of medical students by 2,000 starting next year from the current 3,058 seats to address a shortage of doctors, Yonhap news agency reported.