South Korea

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol said his government is open to speaking with doctors who are opposing his plan to raise medical school enrollment, while accusing detractors of giving no acceptable alternative to help a doctor shortage.

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Yoon made the first indication in a 50-minute speech to the nation that he was open to reaching a consensus on his proposed medical reforms after the government's demand for talks with striking physicians.

Yoon expressed regret for whatever trouble the continuing trainee doctor strike has caused ans also charged the medical community with prioritising its personal profits over the general welfare of the public.

Also read: South Korean medical professors join trainee doctors' strike

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"If you come up with a more proper and reasonable solution, we can discuss it as much as you want," he said. "If you present better opinions and rational grounds, government policy can change for the better."

Since February 20, over 90 per cent of the 13,000 resident trainee doctors in the nation have participated in walkouts over the government's proposal to increase the number of medical school admissions from 3,000 to 2,000 starting in 2025.

With 2.6 doctors per 1,000 persons in 2022, South Korea's 52 million inhabitants had a doctor-to-population ratio that was much lower than the 3.7 average for OECD countries.

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Previous governments have devised measures to tackle deepening shortages of doctors in essential services including paediatrics and emergency units, as well as clinics outside the greater Seoul area, but their efforts fell apart amid strong opposition from the medical sector.

Also read: Over 30000 doctors protest against medical reforms in Seoul 

Some medical professionals have said the Yoon administration had failed to consult in advance, and its plan would do little to fix the current situation, including low pay for trainee doctors.

Yoon refuted several claims by doctors' groups and highlighted why medical reform is imperative.

"After keeping a deafening silence over the government's request to provide specific numbers for medical school quotas, the medical community is now throwing numbers like 350, 500 and 1,000 without any grounds," he said.

"If they want to argue that the scale of the increase should be reduced, they should propose a unified idea with solid scientific evidence, rather than taking collective action."

(With inputs from agencies)