An official from South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare holds a press conference about the country’s medical college quota in Seoul on November 21, 2023.
SEOUL, Nov. 21 (Yonhap) — South Korean universities have asked the government to double the number of students Medical school fees By 2030, the Department of Health and Social Care said on Tuesday, amid growing calls for a significant increase in student numbers to respond to the looming shortage of doctors.
Local universities have urged a significant increase of about 4,000 places in medical school fees by 2030, according to a recent two-week study conducted by the ministry.
The universities said the number should be raised immediately, by about 2,100 to 2,800, for next year’s university entrance exam.
South Korea is trying to expand the quota of medical colleges, which has reached 3,058 since 2006, perhaps by about 1,000 places, amid growing concerns about a shortage of doctors, especially in regional areas.
The government intends to determine the share of medical colleges after conducting a comprehensive review of the infrastructure and capabilities of local universities.
According to data provided by the Ministry, the number of doctors per 1,000 inhabitants currently stands at 2.2, which is much lower than the average of 3.7 for OECD member states. English).
Doctors have strongly protested the government’s move to increase the number of medical students, saying it should instead explore ways to increase compensation for doctors in critical care units.
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