Debate heats up over Lee’s campaign pledge to establish a public medical school

Calls are growing to establish a new public medical school in South Jeolla Province, as promised by President Lee Jae Myung.

Local politicians say a new medical school must meet medical needs and build other infrastructure. However, critics point out that their assertions are disconnected from reality.

“Considering the population standards, access to medical care, and emergency and critical illness response, it is urgent to build a medical school in the eastern part of South Jeolla Province,” said Rep. Kwon Hyang-yup of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea who represents Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gokseong, and Gurye B in South Jeolla Province.

Kwon made these and other remarks at a debate on the role and governance of mid-level medical care for strengthening regional and essential medical care held at the National Assembly on Monday. Reps. Kwon, Kim Yoon, and Kim Mun-soo co-organized the debate. Kim Moon-soo represents Suncheon, Gwangyang, Gokseong, and Gurye A in South Jeolla Province.

"The local essential medical care system is collapsing, and citizens are being pushed into medical blind spots. The medical institutions in Suncheon are also visited by citizens from neighboring areas, such as Gwangyang, Yeosu, and Goheung,” Rep. Kwon said. "However, private hospitals, not public hospitals, are handling the high demand for medical care. Private hospitals have limited support from local governments. Therefore, a public medical school and its affiliated hospitals should be established as a "medical hub.”

Rep. Kim Mun-soo said, "Suncheon National University and Mokpo National University should have an integrated medical school and (affiliated) general hospital in South Jeolla. We endeavored to include establishing a regional medical school in President Lee's pledges. I will work (to establish a medical school) so that the medical infrastructure problem can be solved from the citizens' perspective of Suncheon."

He said that the medical community's opinions should be accepted only to a limited extent in this process.

“Experts and the medical community say solving medical problems cannot be done by establishing medical schools alone,” he said. “However, if you follow the medical community's opinions, it may go wrong. Some things need to be supplemented in addition to the existing medical system. Above all, I will work with local governments and the political sphere to ensure that medical problems are solved sustainably from citizens' perspective.”

Experts agreed on establishing medical schools for special purposes but proposed alternatives.

Professor Ock Min-su of the University of Ulsan College of Medicine’s School of Preventive Medicine agreed with the idea of establishing a special-purpose medical school but noted that not only South Jeolla but also Gangwon and North Gyeongsang provinces want to establish medical schools.

“If you look at the specific regions that want to establish medical schools, likely, they are not ready to establish and operate medical schools,” Professor Ock said. “A better solution would be to create a ‘special-purpose common medical school’ in Seoul with campuses in each region.”

Ock pointed out that regional healthcare issues should go beyond quantitative expansion, such as expanding medical school students or building new medical schools. “We need to improve the regional living environment and develop the discussion in the direction of linking regional characteristics and medical needs with budget and compensation policies,” he said.

Professor Lee Keon-se of Konkuk University College of Medicine's School of Preventive Medicine agreed that regional healthcare needs to be developed.

“If there is a need in a region, we should train doctors and send them to the region and build a medical school so that graduates can work there,” Professor Lee said. "We should support customized budgets and provide fee systems that suit regional medical conditions. The direction and goals (of medical infrastructure) should be set at the regional level, and the roles and goals of each medical institution in the region should be presented accordingly."

Only by working at the regional level can regional and essential medical care be developed, Lee added.