As efforts to establish a regional physician system and public medical schools advance, calls have emerged to strengthen penalties—such as revoking medical licenses—for mandatory service obligations proposed to secure personnel.

Nam Eun-kyung, director of the Policy Bureau at the Citizens' Coalition for Economic Justice (CCEJ), made these remarks at a policy discussion forum on Monday, titled “How to Realize Medical Decentralization for Strengthening Essential Healthcare,” held at the National Assembly Library.

The forum focused on strengthening regional, essential, and public healthcare and addressed measures to secure local medical personnel. It was co-hosted by the National Assembly Research Service and several Democratic of Korea Party lawmakers, including Rep. Park Ju-min, chairman of the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee.

“The government is prioritizing the regional doctor system. However, regarding the public medical school, it is said that since the medical community opposes it, discussions will proceed with a time lag,” Nam said. ‘However, if we wait, it won't happen. It must be decided and legislated early in the government's term. We must attempt at least some part of it promptly.”

Nam also noted that the mandatory service model proposed to secure regional medical personnel lacks sufficient “coercive nature.”

“The contract-based system, where violating the contract requires returning subsidies, generally struggles to function as a penalty. Such a system makes it difficult to enforce mandatory service," Nam said.

The civic activist continued, “Regarding the cultivation of regional medical personnel, I believe legislation should be enacted to ensure the stability of regional workforce development and eliminate uncertainty. This should involve separate selection and training (unlike existing medical schools) to cultivate personnel, and include stronger measures, such as license revocation, if obligations are not fulfilled.”