▲ President Yoon Suk Yeol (3rd from L) speaks during a meeting on medical sector reforms at Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, 112 kilometers south of Seoul, on Oct. 19, 2023. (Pool photo) (Yonhap)

Yoon-medical personnel

Yoon says medical personnel increase is essential

By Lee Haye-ah

SEOUL, Oct. 19 (Yonhap) -- President Yoon Suk Yeol said Thursday that an increase in medical personnel is essential to restore local and critical health services and prepare for the nation's transition to a super-aged society.

Yoon's remark, which came during a meeting with hospital and government officials, appeared to underscore his government's commitment to raising the enrollment quota at medical schools, an issue that has sparked controversy amid opposition from doctors' groups.

"Local and essential medical care, which is directly connected to the people's health and lives, is collapsing," he said during the meeting held at Chungbuk National University in Cheongju, 112 kilometers south of Seoul.

"In order to revive local and essential medical care, and prepare for a super-aged society, expanding medical personnel and training talented individuals are necessary conditions."

The government has reportedly been looking to raise the annual enrollment quota at medical schools by more than 1,000 from the current 3,058, starting in 2025. The move comes amid a shortage in doctors providing essential medical services, especially in pediatrics and emergency care.

According to the health ministry, the number of doctors per 1,000 people in South Korea came to 5.6, far below the average of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development member nations.

But doctors have fiercely opposed the plan, saying the government should instead explore ways to better allocate physicians and boost compensation.

"There are many people who are unable to receive timely treatment due to difficulties in supply and demand of personnel in essential treatment departments, such as pediatrics and obstetrics," Yoon said. "The problem of the medical gap between regions has also reached a serious level."

He further noted the need to develop national university hospitals into a central pillar of the essential medical care system in order to prevent the collapse of local health services.

To that end, he said the government has transferred oversight of national university hospitals from the education ministry to the health ministry.

Moreover, Yoon said the government will invest finances to dramatically improve the capacity to treat serious illnesses and work to increase personnel in the obstetrics and pediatrics fields by reducing the legal risks involved in their practice, adjusting relevant insurance fees and updating compensation plans.

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