Yoon vows to make local regions benefit from medical school quota hike

Mar 05, 2024, 07:59 am

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President Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a 16th Government-Public debate held in Daegu on March 4, 2024./ Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporters Hong Sun-mi & Lee Joon-young

President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed Monday to ensure that Daegu and other local regions greatly benefit from the government’s plan to increase the medical school admissions quota.

Yoon made the remarks during the 16th government-public debate at Kyungpook National University, saying, “The government is strongly pushing to increase the annual student enrollment quota in medical schools.

Yoon mentioned Kyungpook National University, Yeungnam University, Keimyung University and Daegu Catholic University medical schools in the Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province regions, calling them “traditional, prestigious medical schools.” He pledged to significantly expand the admissions quota for talented individuals who have completed middle and high schools outside the capital region to establish medical schools centered around local talents.

He also vowed to significantly increase facility investment into national and regional medical schools.

Meanwhile, the government began taking steps to suspend the medical licenses of some 8,000 striking doctors who left their workplaces in protest against the government’s decision. The Ministry of Health and Welfare sent officials to 50 hospitals to formally confirm the absence of the striking doctors. Those who have not returned to their workplaces will be notified in advance of administrative disposition starting Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the government issued back-to-work orders to 9,438 trainee doctors of 100 major training hospitals as of February 29, and up to 7,854 of them had refused to comply.

The ministry plans to take administrative measures, such as suspension of licenses for at least 3 months.

However, since there are limitations to starting the disposition process uniformly for thousands of defectors, the process is expected to take place sequentially.

“The procedure for suspending licenses for trainee doctors who have left their workplaces will begin,” Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said in a briefing. “The procedure for suspending licenses is irreversible.”

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