Nearly 7 out of 10 South Koreans voiced support for a gradual increase in the medical school admission quota rather than a drastic hike, a survey showed Monday.

The survey of 1,000 South Koreans aged 18 and older commissioned by the national medical professors’ council showed that 68.9 percent of the respondents said raising the number of medical school students gradually is appropriate, while 22.6 percent called for a marked increase at one time.

Asked if the government’s push for a hike of 2,000 was believed to have been based on scientific grounds, 44.9 percent said it is “very much unlikely” and 16.5 percent said it is “unlikely.”

As part of the medical system reform, the Yoon Suk Yeol administration has vowed to increase the medical school admissions quota by 2,000 seats per year over the next five years or so to address a shortage of doctors, and it finalized a hike of some 1,500 students for next year.

The plan is facing fierce opposition from doctors, and most of the country’s 13,000 trainee doct
ors have left their workplaces in the form of mass resignations since February to disrupt the national health care system.

Doctors claim that medical schools will not be able to handle the increased enrollment, which will compromise the quality of medical education and ultimately the country’s medical services.

According to the survey, 65 percent of the respondents pointed to the need to adjust next year’s quota hike plan, and 64.5 percent worried about the worsening medical service crisis.

Asked if Yoon appears to be well aware of the current situation in the medical scene, 67.4 percent said they don’t think so.

“The people now urge the government to change its course,” the council said. “Nobody will endure its ridiculous decision that completely breaks down the country’s advanced medical system in just six months.”

Source: Yonhap News Agency