Med school quota hike ‘will of people’: Yoon
President urges talks with doctors, but rules out compromise on enrollment caps
President Yoon Suk Yeol said on Tuesday that his administration’s steadfast commitment to expanding the medical school quota is deeply rooted in the “will of the people.” He underscored that the government remains resolute in its plan to add 2,000 new slots to medical schools, with no room for compromise.
Despite Yoon’s pledge to establish a presidential committee for “frank discussions” with doctors next month, he continued to criticize doctors participating in a mass walkout. He asserted that such actions amount to a threat to public safety and questioned the ethical nature of endangering lives by leveraging their medical licenses.
“The current medical reform we are undertaking is not just a task. It’s a mission entrusted to us by the people, reflecting their will,” Yoon said during a televised Cabinet meeting.
“However, some doctors, entrusted with the responsibility of safeguarding patients and guiding aspiring medical professionals, are neglecting the wishes of the people for medical reforms. They are falling short of their duties as both physicians and mentors by shirking their responsibilities.
The medical license, intended to preserve lives, should not be wielded as a tool to intimidate or unsettle the public.”
Yoon’s remarks were directed at several professors’ groups from prominent medical schools that opted to participate in the walkout alongside trainee doctors. This action was taken in response to the government’s move to boost medical school admissions by 2,000 beginning next year.
Medical professors at Seoul National University and Yonsei University decided to tender their resignations collectively next Monday, while professors at other universities are also discussing whether they will join.
With the walkout showing no signs of relenting, concerns are mounting that additional disruptions may ensue within the country’s medical system. In response, some moderate doctors are contemplating the notion of incrementally raising the quota on a yearly basis as a potential solution. However, Yoon ruled out that possibility, calling it “an idea disconnected from the current realities of our medical landscape.”
“If citizens have to walk on eggshells to appease doctors every year, then can we really say that this is a properly functioning country?” Yoon said. “Gradually increasing or postponing the expansion will never accomplish the medical reforms that will save people’s lives and prevent regional and essential medical systems from collapsing.”
Yoon also mentioned the income level of doctors in Korea, using the negative public sentiment against doctors opposing the medical school quota expansion plan.
“The average income of doctors in Korea is the highest among OECD countries, and it was about five times the average income of nurses,” Yoon said. “The income gap between medical professionals is also at the highest level among OECD members.”
Yoon was citing the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 2020 data on medical professionals. The average annual income of doctors in Korea was 230.7 million won ($172,434) in 2020, while nurses earned 47.45 million won a year.
The president said this income gap will also be alleviated when the medical school quota is expanded. He promised that the government would allocate most of the 2,000 additional slots to medical schools outside of Seoul and surrounding Gyeonggi Province.
In a related move, the education ministry is expected to announce the allocation of additional medical school admission seats, Wednesday, following a public address by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.
Yoon stressed that the medical reforms he is pursuing require the cooperation and help of doctors, nurses, patients, experts and other health care professionals, and pledged to set up a presidential committee on medical reforms next month to listen to their ideas.
“In particular, the cooperation of doctors is paramount to the success of this endeavor, and we need to share ideas and have candid discussions,” Yoon said. “I, as the president, will engage in discussions with all of you for medical reforms.”