The government said Saturday that the medical community should draw up its plan for proposed talks over an increase in the medical school admissions quota amid prolonged strikes by junior doctors.

On Friday, the presidential office said it is open to readjusting the country’s quota for 2026 and would welcome it if a negotiating panel is formed among the rival parties, the government and the medical community to discuss the issue.

The ruling People Power Party (PPP) proposed launching a four-way dialogue to resolve the medical quota issue. The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) welcomed the proposal.

The series of developments raises hopes for a breakthrough in the prolonged walkout by thousands of junior doctors protesting the government’s decision in February to increase the admissions quota by 2,000 from the previous 3,058 and keep the increased quota over the next five years.

The drawn-out walkout has led to disruptions in hospital services across the nation, especially emergency room operations, b
ut the Yoon Suk Yeol government has been firmly sticking to the 2,000-seat increase.

“We can’t sit down for talks if the medical community does not come up with its own plan,” the Office for Government Policy Coordination said in a statement.

The office stated the medical community’s plans should be based on scientific analysis.

“If their proposal is scientific and reasonable, the government is ready to discuss the issue flexibly,” it said.

But junior doctors and medical school students are unlikely to return unless the government changes its decision about the 2025 quota.

Doctors claim that medical schools will not be able to handle the increased enrollment, which will compromise the quality of medical education and ultimately the country’s medical services.

In response to the government’s proposal, doctors said Yoon should first apologize for increasing the quota in the first place.

Gyeonggido Medical Association, representing doctors in Gyeonggi Province, released a statement saying Yoon has to show
he is serious about the proposed dialogue by apologizing to the medical community.

The association also called on Yoon to dismiss three government figures for taking verbal shots at doctors: Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo and Jang Sang-yoon, senior presidential secretary for social policy.

“This latest proposal is a cheap trick that attempts to distort the essence, which is that the drive to increase the quota for 2025 must be halted,” the Gyeonggi association said. “If they are serious about this, they must immediately stop their plan for the increase, which caused this health care crisis.”

Seoul Medical Association also demanded the government show a change of its stance first before a four-way dialogue can materialize.

“Any dialogue without a review of the plan for the 2025 quota increase will be meaningless,” it said.

The Seoul body also said the health ministry should apologize for unilaterally pushing for the quota change and thus violating terms of a 2020 a
greement between the government and the medical community

Individual doctors took to social media to make similar points. Park Hyoung-uk, vice chair of the Korean Academy of Medical Sciences, said Yoon must show he has changed by firing Jang, the social policy secretary.

Source: Yonhap News Agency