Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said Friday there is no room for compromise on the allocation of an additional 2,000 medical school admission seats, although the government has continued to seek talks with the medical community.
About 90 percent of 13,000 interns and resident doctors have remained off the job since Feb. 20 in protest of the plan to hike the number of medical students, forcing surgeries and other public health services to be canceled or delayed at major hospitals.
Despite the labor action by junior doctors, the government allocated the additional 2,000 admission seats to universities this week.
“It is beyond question,” Cho told an SBS radio when asked about the allocation of more admission seats.
Cho defended the allocation, saying it was not unilaterally done by the government, as universities have also wanted to increase medical admission seats.
To help universities cope with a rise in the number of medical students, the government will spend budget, Cho said.
“The number of national un
iversity professors will be increased by more than 1,000, and relevant ministries will consult to provide additional support if necessary,” Cho said.
While the government has shown little signs of backing down from the plan, Cho said the government has been seeking dialogue with the medical community via an “unofficial channel.”
The government has been pushing to sharply raise the number of medical students to brace for the country’s fast-aging population, and a shortage of physicians in rural areas and essential areas, such as pediatrics and emergency departments.
Doctors, on the other hand, say the quota hikes will undermine the quality of medical education and result in higher medical costs for patients. They have called for measures to first address the underpaid specialists and improve legal protection against excessive medical malpractice lawsuits.
Source: Yonhap News Agency