Controversy over the pros and cons of reapplying for the national exam for medical students is intensifying.

“It is unfair to retake the national test” vs. “Serious medical vacancy”: What do you think?

Pros and cons are battling over whether to give medical students a chance to retake medical students who oppose the expansion of medical school capacity and refuse to take the national exam practical exam. Previously, the government extended the test submission date twice, but 2,700 medical students did not take it. Of the 3,172 applicants, only 446 took the practical exam. In previous years, after taking the practical test in the second semester of this year, and taking the written test at the beginning of next year, the doctor’s license is obtained.

The Korean Medical Association and others insist that the opportunity to retake the exam should be given in consideration of the medical staff gap that will arise due to the number of new doctors to be produced, but it is unfair to provide relief measures to students. of medicine who have taken the opportunity to reapply after group leave. The opposition is not easy. While the medico-political council, which began to function recently, has not advanced due to the problem of re-enrollment of medical students, the Django government continues without reaching that point.

Ignoring fairness with other exams? Public opinion is cold …

Until now, the government has proposed the principle that if “national consent” is not preceded, the opportunity to reapply cannot be given. In fact, more than 570,000 people agree with the Blue House petition against the relief of medical students and public opinion is cold. A 25-year-old graduate student, Amugae Kim, said: “I know that (the medical students) at the time of the strike (the medical students) acted as a group, saying that the government’s policies were unfair. It seems contradictory to ask people who did that to retake an exam that they had already missed. “It is noted that fairness does not fit with other tests. There is a strong tendency that civil society should not rush into aid plans Park Min-sook, vice president of the National Union of Health and Medical Industry Workers, argued: “It is correct that the Ministry of Health and Welfare adheres to the principles in consideration of public opinion,” and argued that ” there will be no collective rejection of treatment by taking the lives and safety of patients as hostages again. “At that time, the Blue House avoided responding to the national request, saying:” It is a situation that must comprehensively consider acceptance from town”.

Despite this widespread public opinion, there was a current that the government and the ruling party could change their position. On the 4th, Prime Minister Jeong Sye-gyun told the National Assembly that it is a very important responsibility to train medical personnel at the national level. On the 5th, a senior official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare met with journalists and said: “In terms of policy, supply of medical personnel and essential medical problems of the emergency room There are many things to think about. to the health authorities, there are concerns. ”The special committee for the pan-medical fight has also recently taken a step towards the separation of the request to solve the problem of reapplication of the doctor’s status and the response to the parliamentary-political council, and Observations have emerged as to whether or not they are negotiating with the government and the ruling party.

If you do not give a chance to retake, the supply of medical personnel will be severe for the next few years.

The reason the government is difficult to consistently respond to only hardline responses is that if a medical gap problem occurs in the frontline medical field, you may have to bear the burden. Typically, 220 large hospitals across the country hire about 3,000 interns at the beginning of March each year. But next year, of the 14% of this year’s candidates, only about 400, who are successful, will apply for internships. As a result, there will be a shortage of the first year of residency next year, and the number of applicants for internships will double, including those who have not attended this year, and the supply and demand problems will continue for many years. Inmates and residents do a lot of work in hospital emergency rooms or operating rooms. According to the ‘Elders’ Law’, you can work up to 88 hours a week under the name of ‘training’, but the salary is less than half that of a specialist.

A fourth-grade student at a medical school said: “When the government refused to participate in the national exam, there were high expectations that the government would eventually create an opportunity to retake it because the big heads of hospitals who prefer to use the hand of work of their specialization would put pressure on the government. ” In the situation where the physician training system is organized in the order of “acquisition of a license through the medical office → training of a specialization (1 year internship, 4 years resident) in a large hospital → training extra after getting a specialist, job or hospital opening “, even if a group action is taken It means that you thought you would be presented with a remedy.

Furthermore, the medical community argues that if fewer careers occur, essential and local healthcare will become more vulnerable due to the high preference of large metropolitan area hospitals or popular departments such as dermatology and plastic surgery. Instead of compulsory military service, 380 to 400 fewer public health intentions are expected to work in vulnerable areas such as agricultural and fishing villages for three years. This year, 1,908 public health doctors, excluding Oriental doctors and dentists, nationwide.

The government is considering a plan to prepare measures expanding the system of ‘hospitalization specialists’. This is a system in which a nursing home and general hospital have a specialist who performs the initial examination, follow-up, counseling, and the establishment of a discharge plan for inpatients. However, the hospitalization specialist system is also considered a desirable direction in the medical world, but it is not clear whether the problem of labor shortages will be solved due to the large difference in labor costs.

Some experts suggest finding a compromise based on the promise of preventing recurrence. Professor Kim Yoon of Seoul National University School of Medicine (medical management) said: “One should not look at the public’s anger over the issue of national policy of the medical school separately from the August group break- September. To persuade people, once again, the group breaks people’s lives as collateral. “There is a promise of medical consultation not to do it, or in the emergency and intensive care units, we must first prepare a device institution that does not create a medical gap due to group licensing. ”Last month, the directors of major university hospitals announced their apologies to the public, saying they were asking medical students to retake the national exam, but Medical students never apologized. Instead, medical students are in a state of expressing their intention to take the exam by submitting application forms for the written exam. to scheduled for January next year.

The National Testing Institute (Kuksiwon), which is in charge of the test, believes that the opportunity to retake this year is practically gone. An official of the National Council said: “It should be considered that it is practically difficult to resume this year, considering the schedule required for 2,700 people to take the exam, and the practical preparation time as orientation and advancement of the retake process.”

By Choi Ha-yan, Seo Hye-mi, Staff Reporter [email protected]