Gov’t, med sector at odds over forming consultative body

Sep 09, 2024, 10:24 am

		0
A sign informing visitors of temporarily reducing operation is posted at the emergency room of Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Sept. 5, 2024. Starting Sept. 5, the emergency room of Ajou University Hospital accepts patients with hyper-critical conditions, such as / Source: Yonhap News

AsiaToday reporter Hong Sun-mi

As the government and the medical community remain at odds over increasing enrollment quota for medical students for the 2025 academic year, the government’s plan to establish a four-party consultative body representing the government, the ruling and opposition bloc, and the medical community before the Chuseok holiday, which begins on Sept. 14.

The government maintains its position that it is not possible to revisit the quota hike plan for next year as procedures for college entrance are already under way. However, the Korean Medical Association (KMA), the country’s largest group of doctors, said on Sunday that it could discuss the quota increase from 2007 after nullifying the quota hike plan for 2025 and 2026.

The government is said to be in the position that if the medical community does not join the consultative body, even the ruling party, the opposition party and the government should start discussing first.

As the government and the medical community responded positively to the formation of a four-way dialogue led by the ruling People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, raising hopes for a breakthrough in the prolonged walkout by thousands of junior doctors, the government and the medical community now are at odds over the upcoming quota hike for 2025.

A high-ranking official at the presidential office on Sunday dismissed the KMA’s request to scrap the hike plan and discuss the quota increase from 2027, saying, “Changing the quota size for the 2026 academic year would be possible through talks, but not for 2025. It could lead to confusion among 500,000 test takers.”

“The ruling, opposition, and government are trying to meet and discuss, and it is wrong in itself to make preconditions to meet,” the official said.

On Saturday, the government stressed that it is ready to discuss the admissions quota issue flexibly after the 2026 academic year if the medical community come up with its own reasonable plan based on scientific analysis.

#consultative body #KMA #government #quota hike