[필수의료 개혁]
Universities: “Last chance to create a medical school” Eight establishment bills proposed with regional names “Increasing the number of medical schools, concerns over deterioration of regional selfishness”
Citizens are passing by the medical school of a university in Seoul. News 1
It was revealed that 11 universities told the government last year that they wanted to establish a new medical school. Local communities and civic groups where essential medical services are under threat are also strongly demanding the establishment of new medical schools, but the government appears to be cautious. Competition among politicians to attract medical schools to their districts is intensifying ahead of next year’s general election.
● “Last chance to attract medical schools” Universities live or die
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Education to Justice Party lawmaker Lee Eun-joo, a member of the National Assembly’s Environment and Labor Committee on the 20th, the Ministry of Education requested an increase in the number of medical schools from the Ministry of Health and Welfare at the end of last year and sent a survey to 17 cities and provinces to investigate the demand for new or expanded medical schools. The universities that wanted to establish new universities were △ Pukyong National University in Busan △ Incheon National University in Incheon △ KAIST in Daejeon △ Kongju National University in South Chungcheong Province △ Kunsan National University in Jeollabuk-do, National University of Public Medicine in Jeollanam-do △ Mokpo National University in Jeonnam, Suncheon National University △ Andong National University in Gyeongbuk, and POSTECH △ Changwon National University in Gyeongnam. The universities that wanted to expand were Ulsan National University and Chungbuk National University.
Most universities without a medical school want to establish a new medical school. If you have a medical school, it is the ‘best portfolio’ that universities want because the entrance exam competition is very high and excellent students apply. The current medical school quota has been set at 3,058 students for 18 years since 2006. A university official said, “This is the last chance, and the atmosphere is a life-or-death situation.”
The Ministry of Education plans to confirm the allocation of seats to each university by March next year once the Ministry of Health and Welfare decides on the scale of the increase. In order to prevent confusion among test takers, the number of seats will be confirmed before next April, when each university announces the admission guidelines for the 2025 academic year. The Ministry of Education’s position is that it will first consider increasing the number of students, focusing on local national universities and universities with small medical schools.
If a new graduate school of science and technology and medicine (Graduate School of Science and Technology) to train medical scientists is established at KAIST, POSTECH, etc., the Ministry of Science and ICT will determine the number of students in consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare. In 2009, 27 medical schools were introduced, but currently only CHA Medical College remains. The College of Medicine was introduced with the intention of giving students from various backgrounds the opportunity to become doctors, but most universities returned to the medical school due to problems such as the withdrawal of engineering students and private education.
● “Medical school in my district” competition between the ruling and opposition parties
In the political world, while both the ruling and opposition parties are calling for the establishment of a new regional medical school, there are also concerns that this could escalate into a controversy over ‘regional egoism’ ahead of next year’s general election. On the 18th, members of the Democratic Party of Korea’s Jeollanam-do region shaved their heads in front of the President’s Office and the National Assembly in Yongsan and called for the establishment of a Jeollanam-do medical school. South Chungcheong Province Governor Kim Tae-heum, a member of the People’s Power Party, held a press conference on the 19th and demanded the “establishment of a new Chungnam medical school.”
At the party meeting on the 20th, People Power Party Policy Committee Chairman Yoo Yu-dong pointed out, “We must be wary of this issue (expanding medical school quota) being swayed by political populism or degenerating into regional egoism.” A key member of the Democratic Party also pointed out in a phone call that day, “If we just try to drag public or regional medical schools into ‘my region,’ the issue of expanding the number of medical school seats will ultimately fall into a swamp of regional strife.”
According to the Bill Information System, there are eight bills to establish medical schools that have been proposed under regional names. In the same Jeonnam region, Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Won-i proposed a special law for the establishment of ‘Mokpo Medical University’, and same party lawmaker Kim Hoe-jae proposed a special law for ‘Suncheon Medical University’. The ruling party lawmakers also presented a series of bills requesting the establishment of medical schools mainly in their own regions and party areas. Special bill on the establishment of a medical school at Changwon National University (Rep. Kang Ki-yoon), Special bill on the establishment of a medical school at Kongju National University (Rep. Seong Il-jong), Special bill on the establishment of a medical school to train local doctors in Gyeongsangnam-do (Rep. Choi Hyeong-du), Establishment of a medical school in northern Gyeonggi Province Special bill on (Rep. Choi Young-hee), etc.
Reporter Choi Yena yena@donga.com
Reporter Myungjin Yoon mjlight@donga.com
Reporter Kwon Gu-yong 9dragon@donga.com
2023-10-20 16:40:00
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