#사설Tourism #training #professors #facilities #conditions #place #increase #personnel
On the 14th and 15th, the Dong-A Ilbo visited the medical schools of Chungbuk National University and Pusan National University, which had applied to increase the number of students by more than double the current admission quota, and found great concerns on the spot that “the quality of medical school education will deteriorate.” Since it is not easy to secure a body for practice, the opportunity may be limited because it is necessary to do ‘tourist practice’ where you only look over your shoulder, or the number of students observing the treatment cannot be increased indefinitely. The number of medical school admissions will increase starting next year, but it is virtually impossible to expand infrastructure such as professors and practice facilities in a short period of time.
The government decided to allocate an increase of 2,000 students to medical school admissions mainly to regional national universities such as Chungbuk National University and Pusan National University and mini medical schools with an admission capacity of less than 50 students. At the same time, he said he would increase the number of professors at key national universities by 1,000 by 2027, when next year’s students enter the main department, and expand investment in national university hospitals. However, there is uncertainty in the educational field whether it will be possible to increase the number of professors at national medical schools by 1,000 in a short period of time, which is still suffering from a shortage of recruits, and whether it will be possible to invest in facilities within this year when the budget is not secured.
In this situation, the government will allocate 5,058 students to each medical school tomorrow, an increase of 2,000 students. The plan is to recruit students first and build educational infrastructure, but one cannot help but be concerned about the side effects that a half-baked policy may produce. If the quality of medical school education is not guaranteed, it will be difficult to achieve the normalization of essential-regional medical care, which is the essence of increasing the number of medical schools. 80% of the increase in medical schools is allocated to regional areas. If the doctor training process is poor, distrust in local medical care will increase and it will be difficult to resolve the concentration of doctors in the metropolitan area.
Today marks one month since the mass resignation of residents, triggered by the expansion of medical schools. Meanwhile, residents, medical students, and professors are taking part in the collective action of leaving the hospital one by one. The government maintains the attitude that “we cannot back down from 2,000.” The government expects that once the allocation of increased medical schools is completed, medical students at risk of repayment and residents facing administrative action will return early, but the possibility of a strong backlash from the medical community cannot be ruled out. This is a path where the government, doctors, and patients all lose.
As the medical gap continues, the damage to patients will increase uncontrollably. The medical community should not just demand a withdrawal of the increase in medical personnel, but should engage in dialogue with the appropriate scale of the increase and alternatives that will save essential local medical care. The government must also show its will to resolve this situation by gathering reasonable opinions from the medical community.
