Gov’t does not stick to its argument but changes its mind too confusingly

The Office for Government Policy Coordination (OPC) issued a press release on Saturday, saying, “The government does not intend to revisit the increase of medical school students for the 2026 academic year unless the medical community provides input based on scientific evidence.” This came after some media reports said that the original plan to raise med school quotas would be put off for the next school year. The day before the OPC’s statement was published, the presidential office and the ruling party on Friday proposed to form a quadrilateral consultative panel involving the administration, the ruling and opposition parties, and doctors, adding that they could re-discuss and adjust to the 2026 plan for med school admissions. Although the OPC clarified on Saturday that it represents a consistent viewpoint of the government, it does not seem like the case.

As recently as Aug. 29 when President Yoon Suk Yeol had a press briefing, he said clearly, “The project is in its final stages.” The same day, the director of national policy told the press that the announcement to increase med school admission quotas for the 2025 and 2026 school years came to a close, dismissing the possibility of putting it on hold as mentioned by the ruling party. However, it took a step backward by even bringing up the possibility of starting the discussion from scratch as citizens expressed growing concern about an expected ER staffing crunch over the Chuseok holidays. In just nine days, the government kept reversing itself on the issue, only leaving the public confused about its policy programs and anxious about further disruptions to medical services.

Doctors have now turned down the proposal to join a consultative body by demanding the withdrawal of the plan for the 2025 school year. Some ruling party members hope doctors will change their minds as the application period for early admissions starts this Monday. The Ministry of Education also dismissed the possibility of retracting the plan already announced due to the college entrance schedule, but has not come up with how to expand school facilities and teaching staff in accordance with the increase plan. There seem to be few available resources left for med school education. To be specific, next year’s budget for public health will be 5.4 percent up, way below the increase rate of the total budget for the health ministry (7.4 percent), and health insurance premiums will remain unchanged for two years running for the first time.

Considering that doctors maintain that poor educational conditions will follow the increase plan for med school students, people may be afraid that the government only thinks that time is on its side while not finding a way to quell doctor’s concern. To fill in the gaps in emergency medical services, the government sent army surgeons and public health doctors to the medical forefronts. Without improving things, it has only created a vacuum in military forces and medically underserved areas. Arguably, things will only get worse over time. With no strings attached anymore, the government should encourage doctors to participate in a consultative panel. Likewise, doctors need to use their expertise to find an exit strategy. No matter what it takes, they all should prevent the medical system, on which all the 50 million citizens rely, from collapsing.