In a show of international solidarity, the Medical Women's International Association (MWIA) has issued a strong statement in support of the Korean Medical Women's Association (KMWA) following a gender-biased statement made by a high-level Korean government official in Seoul, Korea, this past February.

In February, the Korean government made a decision to raise the annual intake of medical students by 65 percent, increasing the enrollment numbers from 3,058 to 5,058 beginning in March 2025.

The controversy began when Health and Welfare Vice Minister Park Min-soo cited the growing proportion of female doctors and the perceived differences in working hours between male and female doctors as key factors influencing this policy change.

The MWIA criticized his remarks, saying that it was dismissive and derogatory towards female physicians.

"His official statement as a high-level government official was perceived as dismissive and demeaning to the professionalism and hard work of female medical doctors and caused widespread disappointment and distress among female medical practitioners at all levels," the MWIA said in an official statement released on Saturday, Seoul time. "His statement could be based on unfounded generalization and portraying female physicians as less capable and less competent."

These remarks not only damage the reputation of female physicians but also undermine the collective effort of medical women who have taken care of patients day and night and served the community even in challenging times such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the organization added.

The MWIA stressed that Park's statements also violate the principle of gender equality in Health Care as enriched in the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO), Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and other international treaties.

However, the organization also urged female medical students and residents who left schools and hospitals due to the government's unilateral medical school admission quota increase to return to their education and workplaces, with the expectation that gender equality principles will be practiced in Korea's healthcare sector.

"We once again reiterate that MWIA stands firmly together with KMWA with no toleration against any practice or statement of gender related bias in healthcare as well as healthcare professionals especially in regards to medical women," the MWIA said.