Gov’t accelerates process to allocate increased medical school quota

The government on Friday convened the inaugural session of the committee responsible for allocating 2,000 additional medical school admission seats to universities, accelerating the allocating process despite escalating protests from medical circles.

According to education officials, the government review committee for medical school quota allocation was scheduled to convene its first session in the day to discuss the distribution of the increased 2,000 enrollment slots.

The move came as the government is forging ahead with the medical quota hike to address a chronic shortage of doctors in rural areas and essential but unpopular medical fields, despite a weekslong walkout by trainee doctors nationwide.

The country’s 40 medical schools nationwide have applied for a combined 3,401 additional admission seats, much higher than the government’s planned increase of 2,000 more seats from the current 3,058 starting next year.

The government strictly maintained secrecy regarding the committee’s membership composition as well as the meeting’s timing, location and agenda to ensure the objectivity of the committee’s decision-making process.

The government plans to complete the allocation by the end of this month at the earliest to have the updated quota fixed and reflected on universities’ admission announcements for the 2025 academic year.

According to government plans, only 20 percent of the increased seats will be allocated to medical schools in and around Seoul, with the remainder distributed to schools in noncapital areas in line with the quota hike plan’s goal to strengthen health care services in regional areas.