Gov't mulls cutting medical quotas

[Anchor]

The government, seeking to resolve the conflict with the medical community, has taken a step back from its previous position.

It has opened the possibility of reducing the number of medical school admissions even further before increasing them next year.

However, the medical association has stated that the government should present a concrete plan to resolve the current situation.

Reporter Park Min-kyung has the details.

[Report]

The government has reached out to the medical community, stating that it will review the scale of next year's medical school admissions from scratch.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong, who appeared before the National Assembly, confirmed that the review includes the possibility of reductions.

[Cho Kyu-hong/Minister of Health and Welfare - So Byeong-hoon/Member of Parliament: "What does 'from scratch' mean? Does it include freezing, increasing, and reducing?"] "That's correct."

This is the first time the government, which increased the number of medical school admissions by more than 1,500 this year, has suggested the possibility of reductions for next year.

The government also stated that it would strive to consult with the medical association as soon as possible before the new students enroll in March.

However, Kim Taek-woo, the newly appointed president of the medical association, dismissed the government's repeated conciliatory measures as having no significant changes from the past.

[Kim Taek-woo/New President of the Korean Medical Association: "The government, which is responsible for the health and lives of the people, must stop its complacent and irresponsible responses that drag on time and take responsibility for the issues it has caused...."]

He emphasized that a clear plan for resolving the situation and normalizing medical education must be presented before discussions on next year's medical school admissions can take place.

All 221 training hospitals for residents across the country will recruit over 9,000 residents for three days starting tomorrow (1.15).

The medical association downplayed the special training provisions and enlistment postponements offered to returning residents as mere follow-up measures.

[Kim Taek-woo/New President of the Korean Medical Association: "We will fulfill our role and function as a medical expert organization leading national policy, prioritizing the health and lives of the people...."]

As long as the medical association, which claims to prioritize public health, maintains a firm stance against the government, the ongoing medical vacancy crisis, which has lasted for 11 months, seems unlikely to be resolved.

This is KBS News, Park Min-kyung.