South Korea has selected two national universities to open medical schools as part of an effort to strengthen essential and public healthcare outside the country’s major medical centers. The education and health ministries chose Sunchon National University for the Jeonnam-Gwangju area and Gyeongkuk National University in North Gyeongsang after assessing regional access to medical education and healthcare capacity.
The government assigned 60 places to Sunchon National University and 40 to Gyeongkuk National University. Sunchon had sought 100 places, but officials concluded that operating such a large intake would be difficult during the school’s opening phase. The decision gives the two institutions a combined annual intake of 100 students, with the larger allocation going to the Jeonnam-Gwangju area.
- Sunchon National University intake
- 60 students
- Gyeongkuk National University intake
- 40 students
- Combined annual intake
- 100 students
Officials based the selection on 13 indicators across four areas: access to a medical school, the number of active physicians relative to population, the proportion of residents aged 65 or older, and the rate at which hospitalized patients leave their region for care. The policy is intended to narrow regional healthcare disparities and expand the foundation for essential and public medical services in two areas identified as medically underserved.
Faculty and regional retention will determine the outcome
Opening the schools will require more than assigning student places. Medical groups have warned that adding two small schools could divide a limited pool of professors and education and clinical facilities. Each university must secure enough qualified faculty and establish the training environment needed to educate students and support clinical instruction without weakening existing services.
Long-term regional retention is another unresolved condition. The available evidence does not specify measures that would ensure graduates continue working in Jeonnam, Gwangju or North Gyeongsang after completing their education and training. Without employment and practice conditions that support local careers, the new schools may have only a limited effect on physician shortages. Faculty recruitment, facilities and concrete arrangements for graduates to remain in the regions will therefore shape whether the policy delivers the intended improvement in local care.