Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo speaks during a government meeting in Seoul on Oct. 4, 2024. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 4 (Korea Bizwire) — Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said Friday that the government would have a “more open attitude” as he renewed calls for doctors to join talks to resolve a prolonged walkout by trainee doctors against the government’s medical reform.
For about seven months, thousands of junior doctors have walked off the job in protest of the government’s push to raise the number of medical students.
Although the government has urged doctors to join talks to resolve the standoff, doctors have demanded the government revisit the hike of the medical school admissions quota.
“The most important thing is restoration of trust, and the first step toward this is dialogue,” Park told a government response meeting.
Park said the government will have a “more open attitude” and be “sincere” if the doctors hold talks with the government.
The government decided to increase the number of medical school seats by around 1,500 for 2025 as part of its plan to add approximately 2,000 students over the next five years to address the doctor shortage.
As part of efforts to find a breakthrough, the government pledged to form a new committee to assess the future demand for health care workers, inviting the medical community to propose representatives to participate.
“If the medical community presents a scientific and reasonable proposal, the committee is open to discussing the admissions process for the class of 2026,” Park added.
(Yonhap)
