To relieve the medical students who refused to receive the national government, we will see it twice in the first and second semesters of this year.

The government decided to take the 2021 second half exams in two separate sessions to give medical students a chance to retake the national exam for doctors. The government has officially shown the position that there is no “repetition.” However, in the third pandemic of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), the situation was completely reversed.

Lee Ki-il, head of the Health and Medical Policy Division of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said in a regular briefing at the Security and Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters on the 31st: “It was decided to carry out (decided) the 2021 national exam for doctors in the first and second half. I will do the words. “The international drafting will take place from January 7 to 8. The government plans to issue a public announcement of the national practice four days later (12) and to carry out the test from the 23rd.

Normally, the national officer takes place in the second half of each year. The 85th National Practical Exam, which is currently the subject of 4th grade students, ended on November 10 of last year. The government policy is to implement the 86th national government practice in 2021 in two parts in the first and second half of the year. Third grade students cannot take the first half of the exam. In fact, it can be interpreted as an opportunity to ‘take’ the fourth grader who refused to take the national exam.

In particular, the Ministry of Health and Welfare decided to review the Medical Law enforcement ordinance to implement the first half of the national government practice. This is because, according to the implementing ordinance, the matters necessary for the test must be announced 90 days before the test to be able to go to the doctor’s office. According to current law, the test is only possible in April. In addition, the Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to extend the application period for public health doctors (public affairs doctors), which expires on February 10 in consultation with the Ministry of Defense and Military Personnel Administration, by two weeks .

The government has maintained a firm position on the issue of resuming national time. When medical students announced on September 24 last year that they would “take the exam,” they maintained the position that “there is no opportunity to take it again.” The government’s turn is due to fear of the lack of new doctors. In early August last year, medical students rejected the national policy, saying the government unilaterally lobbied for medical policies such as expanding medical schools and establishing public medical schools. The doctor’s license is issued only after passing both the national writing and practical skills. Without a license, medical practice is impossible. However, only 446 (14.1%) of the 3,172 people who took the national exam last year took the test.

With simple calculations, there will be 2,700 new doctors in 2021. In this case, an estimated 300 or more doctors working in medically vulnerable areas without private hospitals will be missing. It is not possible to fill the vacant positions of the registered publications with new publications. Furthermore, there is a high possibility that interns at university hospitals applied by many medical graduates cannot be covered. For this reason, there was concern that the overload of the medical field would worsen if national time was not observed.

However, some say the government set a “wrong precedent.” In this regard, the director Gi-il Lee said: “It is a ‘special measure’ to overcome the situation of Corona 19 as far as possible. If the test is rejected as a group (in the middle of a group action as a student of medicine), we will never respond in the same way. ”

Meanwhile, the medical community, which has been requesting a repeat national exam, did not reveal a different position that day. The Korean Medical Association also did not make a welcoming statement. This seems to be due to being aware of the public opinion that has opposed the retake. An official from the Korea Medical Clinic and College of Medicine said: “I know that only information on current progress has been provided to each university.”

Sejong = Minwook Reporter Kim [email protected]