Gov't to begin increasing medical school quota in 2025

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong announced Thursday that the country will begin increasing its medical school enrollment quota in 2025 to alleviate doctor shortages.

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong speaks at a press conference at the Central Government Complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, on Thursday afternoon. The minister presented a plan to increase Korea’s medical school enrollment quota beginning in 2025 to alleviate doctor shortages in key practices and in regions outside Seoul. [YONHAP]

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong announced Thursday that the country will begin increasing its medical school enrollment quota in 2025 to alleviate doctor shortages.

Speaking at a press conference at the Central Government Complex in Jongno District, central Seoul, Cho said that Korea’s medical schools will initially be allowed to increase admissions in 2025 if they “have room to increase their capacity,” with “gradual increases after 2026” hinging on whether universities can secure “additional educational capabilities.”

The ministry is still reviewing proposals to establish new regional medical schools, he added.

In his announcement, the health minister reiterated the government’s arguments that more doctors are “urgently” needed to fill severe shortages in essential fields such as pediatrics and cardiology, especially in regions outside Seoul.

According to data provided by the Health Ministry, the number of doctors in Korea for every 1,000 people currently stands at 2.2, far below the average of 3.7 for other developed countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

In a survey conducted by Hankook Research, 24 percent of the 1,003 respondents said the medical school admissions quota should rise by more than 1,000, 17 percent said it should be increased between 300 and 500, and 15 percent agreed with a number between 500 and 1,000.

But the Korean Medical Association (KMA), which represents two-thirds of the country’s doctors, has come out in opposition to the plan, arguing that increasing enrollment quotas will only produce more doctors who sign up for popular practices, such as dermatology and plastic surgery.

Cho noted that the government “does not think that we can solve all issues by simply expanding the quota,” adding that its policy goal is to “encourage doctors to participate in regional and essential services actively.”

Cho said the ministry will soon begin investigating the teaching capacity of each medical school to determine how much their intake should increase.

The enrollment quota for medical schools in Korea has been fixed at 3,058 since 2006. The admissions quota hike scheduled for 2025 would mark the first increase in 19 years.

While the government has floated increasing the annual medical school intake by 1,000, the exact number will likely be set after the Health Ministry surveys medical schools next month.

According to Cho, the Health Ministry also plans to establish a medical education inspection team in tandem with the Education Ministry that will review and conduct visits at existing medical schools.

The inspection team will be headed by the head of the ministry’s Health and Medical Policy Division and include officials from both ministries, as well as outside experts.

The health minister said that the country’s aging demographics make increasing the number of doctors necessary.

“As the elderly segment of the population that requires more medical care increases, the demand for health services will continue to increase until 2050, at which point medical practitioners will be even scarcer,” Cho said, adding that increasing the number of doctors “is a task that cannot be delayed any longer.”

According to research conducted by Hong Seok-cheol, a professor at Seoul National University, demand for medical care is expected to increase by 48 percent over the next 30 years, and insurance-covered medical expenses are expected to increase by 43 trillion won ($31.6 billion).

Experts predict the country will face a shortfall of approximately 10,000 doctors by 2035.

Shin Young-seok, a researcher at the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, estimates that the country will need 9,654 more doctors to meet rising health care demands, while Kwon Jung-hyun, a researcher at the Korea Development Institute (KDI), and Hong Yoon-chul, a professor at Seoul National University, estimated the shortfall to reach 10,816.

BY MICHAEL LEE [lee.junhyuk@joongang.co.kr]