The Korean government has ruled out discussions about scrapping its plan to increase admissions to medical schools

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong speaks at a government response meeting, April 22. Yonhap

Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong said on Monday the government will not hold discussions about possibly scrapping a plan to boost admissions to medical schools, renewing a pledge to implement medical reforms despite strong protests from doctors.

About 12,000 trainee doctors have left their workplaces since February 20 in response to the government’s push to increase the annual number of medical students by 2,000, forcing major hospitals to cancel or postpone surgeries and other public health services.

“Medical reform is a must to save essential and local healthcare systems, even if it is difficult and difficult,” Cho said at a government response meeting.

Discussions about possibly scrapping the plan or phasing it out by a year “do not reflect the people’s opinion,” Cho said, calling on doctors to come up with a “unified proposal based on scientific grounds.”

People walk in a general hospital in central Seoul, April 21. Yonhap

Last week, the government said it had accepted a request from the heads of six national universities for flexibility in expanding the enrollment quota for medical schools, in a decision that raised hopes of an end to the long strike by trainee doctors.

Under the decision, largely seen as a compromise, local universities will be allowed to freely increase their admissions quotas, with annual increases ranging from 50 to 100 percent.

“We hope that the medical community will openly recognize the government’s efforts to accept the suggestion of the heads of national universities to find solutions to the conflict,” Cho said, urging doctors to return to their hospitals.

Cho added that the government will continue to implement medical reforms without interruption, although it will be open to “reasonable” opinions.

The health minister also called on local doctors’ organizations to join a special presidential commission on medical reform, set to launch this week, after the Korea Medical Association and the Korea Intern Resident Association vowed to boycott the initiative. (Yonhap)