Doctors are still urgently wanted. The Korean government's failure after annual protests

The South Korean government announced on Thursday a decision to cancel the plan to increase the admission limit for medical studies by 2,000. Of the present 3058. It is a reaction to the protests of interns and students who have been ongoing for 14 months, which led to partial paralysis of health care.

Over 12,000 Exercise doctors left the beds, and students refused to participate in classes when in February 2024 the government presented controversial plans for educational reform.

The authorities argued that increasing the admission limit is necessary to remedy the deficiency of doctors. South Korea It currently has one of the lowest indicators of doctors – 2.1 out of 1000 inhabitants. It is expected that by 2035 there will be 15,000 in the country. medics.

“We sincerely apologize to the public for fears related to the potential failure of medical reform,” said the Minister of Education Li Dzu Ho during a press conference in Seoul.

All society was unfavorable to doctors. Public opinion research showed that nearly 90 percent respondents supported the government's plan and were against the strike.

Organizations defending patients' rights criticize the government's decision as a concession to doctors who may negatively affect future attempts to reform health care.

Medics, however, maintain that increasing the limit will threaten the quality of education and services rendered. In their opinion, the authorities should focus on protecting healthcare professionals against lawsuits for errors in medical art and raising remuneration to encourage doctors to specialize in less popular fields.

It is expected that the government's retraction will prompt the medical community to undertake dialogue and cease protests – says Yonhap.

The government appealed to the medical community to take dialogue and demonstrate good will.

Attempts to reform medical studies made in previous years also led to protests that forced concessions from the authorities. The government announced on Thursday that this is “the last time” when it admits so “special treatment” to medical students.

Krzysztof Pawliszak (PAP)

KRP/ AP/