[2024 National Audit] "Medical Crisis Unlikely to End This Year... Normalizing Medical Schools Is a Priority"

Heads of Welfare Ministry Subordinate Agencies, "Expecting Difficulties Such as Decline in Essential Medical Support"

Heads of institutions under the Ministry of Health and Welfare anticipated that the current medical crisis caused by the government's policy to increase the quota of medical school students would not be resolved in the short term.

On the 17th, at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit, Seo Hong-gwan, director of the National Cancer Center, is responding to questions from Baek Hye-ryeon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea.
[Photo by National Assembly Broadcasting]

On the 17th, during the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's audit of 15 institutions including the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, the National Medical Center, and the National Cancer Center, lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties intensely questioned the shortage of doctors and measures to resolve the medical vacuum.

In response to a question from Baek Hye-ryun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, asking when the medical crisis would be resolved, Joo Young-soo, director of the National Medical Center, said, "It will not end within this year," adding, "It is really difficult to predict." Director Joo stated, "We hope that there will be some recovery next year," and noted, "Other institutions have similar expectations."

Seo Hong-gwan, director of the National Cancer Center, gave the same answer, saying, "Considerable difficulties are expected," and added, "There are anxious predictions that essential medical support, such as internal medicine and surgery, will significantly decline."

In response to Kim Seon-min, a member of the Justice Party, asking whether an increase in medical school quotas is necessary, Lee Jae-tae, president of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, said, "Having visited regional public medical institutions, I personally feel that there is a shortage of human resources in public healthcare," and added, "Along with institutional improvements, the number of personnel (medical school quotas) should increase to start a reasonable system." When Kim asked about measures to resolve the medical vacuum, Director Lee said, "An organization capable of leading a social grand compromise is needed."

There was also criticism that the qualifications of students graduating from medical schools with increased enrollment should be properly evaluated when they complete their education and are released as new doctors.

In response to Baek’s question about whether there are any measures in place given that there will be almost no personnel able to take the medical licensing exam next year, Bae Hyun-joo, president of the Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute, said, "Medical schools must be normalized," adding, "Otherwise, we cannot accept applications." President Bae explained, "The exam candidates are students who are certain to graduate within six months according to the Medical Service Act, or those who have already graduated," and added, "If medical education is not normalized, they do not meet the candidate criteria."

Kim Seon-min asked, "According to government policy, the number of examinees for the national medical licensing exam will increase by 1,500 to 2,000 in six years. How are you preparing for the rapid increase in examinees?" In response, President Bae said, "In 2021, about 2,700 medical students who had refused to take the exam due to the issue of medical school quota increase took the exam late the following year," adding, "Although the semester had already progressed significantly, once it is decided how many students can graduate, we will immediately look for ways to conduct the exam. We will do our best to ensure that the release of medical personnel is not hindered or that quality does not decline due to the exam."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.