The ongoing conflict between South Korea's medical community and the government: will the parliamentary hearing on the 26th be the turning point for a resolution?

The conflict between the government and doctors over the medical reform proposed by the South Korean government, centering on an increase of 2,000 admissions to university medical schools, continues.
Professors from the hospital also took collective leave from their clinics, causing chaos in the medical field. Patients are unable to receive the medical care they need, and their dissatisfaction is growing. As the conflict between the government and doctors drags on,
On the 26th of the month, the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee will hold a hearing to explain the background to the decision to increase the number of medical school admissions. Representatives from medical associations are also scheduled to attend, and the Korean newspaper Hankyoreh has reported that "the medical administration (the government and the medical side)
The South Korean government announced in February this year that it would increase the number of university medical school admissions by 2,000 students from the 2025 entrance exam.
The increase in enrollment will be the first since 1998, when Jeju National University in the south opened a new medical school. The enrollment limit was increased to 3,507 in 1998, but was reduced to 3,058 in 2006.
Since then, it has remained at 3,058 people every year. In South Korea, the shortage of doctors is particularly serious in rural areas.
According to the "National Healthcare Human Resources Statistics and Implications," South Korea had 2.3 doctors per 1,000 people, lower than the OECD average (3.5), and the lowest among member countries.
In an effort to alleviate the doctor shortage, in July 2020, the administration of former President Moon Jae-in announced a plan to expand the number of medical school admissions by training an additional 4,000 doctors over a 10-year period. However, the number of medical students and interns has been declining.
At the time, medical students and interns argued that the problem was not a shortage of doctors overall, but a shortage of doctors in the so-called "essential medical departments" such as surgery and obstetrics and gynecology.
These "essential medical departments" tend to be avoided due to the high workload and the relatively high risk of lawsuits, while doctors are concentrated in more profitable fields such as dermatology, ophthalmology, and cosmetic surgery.
They argued that the shortage of doctors was ultimately caused by the fact that the number of doctors was increasing. At the time, the Korean Medical Association went on strike due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Moon administration gave up on increasing staffing levels for the time being in order to prioritize the COVID-19 response.
Even after the administration changed, the Korean government continued to insist on increasing the number of medical school students. The Yoon Seok-yeol administration also said, "In order to protect the health and lives of the people, we can no longer delay the expansion of the number of doctors.
He called it a "challenge of the times" and called for an increase in the number of students admitted to medical schools. When the government announced an increase in the number of students admitted to university medical schools in February, medical interns reacted strongly, just as they did in 2020.
This caused delays in routine medical examinations and surgeries, and the medical field fell into chaos. After that, doctors further strengthened their opposition, and many professors and researchers at university hospitals
The emergency response committee, which is made up of professors from Seoul National University's College of Medicine and Seoul National University Hospital, has suspended operations since the 17th of this month and is refusing to provide outpatient care or surgery, except for emergency and serious cases.
The decision by Seoul National University Hospital, one of the "Big 5" large hospitals in Seoul, to close its doors has led to growing concern and criticism from patients.
The president said, "We will take strict action against any wrongdoing that has abandoned patients. There has been illegal refusal to treat patients. Collective action that abandons the pain and suffering of patients is never desirable."
Professors at Seoul National University Hospital, who had been closed indefinitely, resumed medical practice on the 22nd. "As a result of a vote among all professors," he said.
On the 19th, the Supreme Court of Korea upheld the lower court's ruling that denied the medical community's request for a stay of execution regarding the expansion of medical school admission quotas.
The Supreme Court's ruling has drawn attention to how the medical community will respond, but the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee will hold a hearing on medical reform on the 26th.
The chairperson of the Seoul National University Medical School and Seoul National University Hospital Professors Council's Emergency Response Committee and other members of medical associations will also be present as witnesses.
The Special Committee for Correct Medical Treatment, which is a non-profit organization, has also indicated that it is open to dialogue with the government, and will first monitor the progress of the hearing to be held on the 26th.
Joreh points out that the hearing could serve as a catalyst for resolving the conflict.