On February 6, Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong announced that the government will increase the number of medical students by 2,000 from 2025.

The decision to expand medical school admissions has been a topic of discussion for nearly two decades.

The minister emphasized that the government continued to expand the number of medical school seats to protect more people’s lives and maintain the medical system.

For continuity, the government compiled data on the demand for increased students submitted by 40 universities and conducted verification.

The government decided the scale of increasing medical school seats based on the supply and demand outlook for 2035, which is 10 years from now.

Currently, 5000 doctors are needed to secure the national average of doctors working in medically vulnerable areas.

Due to rapid aging, many experts predict a shortage of 10,000 doctors in 2035.

The government plans to expand the number of doctors by at least 10,000 out of the required 15,000 by 2035, which is deemed insufficient.

Because of the birth rate in Korea, there are not enough people in non-metropolitan areas.

The government plans to ensure that more than 60% of students in non-metropolitan areas will be selected locally to address this issue.

Onereason doctors avoid local hospitals is their busy schedules and poor medical services compared to metropolitan area.

The government states it has no choice but to increase the number of doctors to resolve the imbalance in medical services between regions.

The government aims to balance development across different regions rather than focusing too much on big cities, ensuring all parts of the country have fair opportunities and improvements.

This strategy is expected to lead to faster and more intensive healthcare for people in non-metropolitan areas.

Not only because of the birth rate, but medical school students also tend to choose lucrative jobs like dentistry or plastic surgery.

Increasing the number of medical students could lead to a more equal distribution of specialties.

However, medical groups oppose the expansion of the number of medical students.

According to BBC Korea, as of 10pm on February 22nd, almost 80% of residents at 94 major hospitals have submitted resignation letters.

Medical groups oppose the increase because there is an existing system for managing the number of students, and a sudden increase may strain the system, resulting in poorly implemented medical education.

Becoming a doctor requires more than theoretical knowledge; practical training and clinical education are crucial.

Increasing the number of students without adequate educational infrastructure could lead to social chaos.

The concern includes a lack of resources such as microscopes and potential job loss for current doctors.

Despite these concerns, the government remains firm about increasing the number of medical students.

Namgung Serim

Grade 10

Fayston Preparatory School