The government tightened eligibility requirements to block "study-abroad to provinces" aimed at the regional doctor track. Applicants must have graduated from a middle school within the same metropolitan area to apply for nearby medical schools' regional doctor admissions track.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare re-notified for legislation on the 27th a revised enforcement decree of the Act on Fostering and Supporting Regional Doctors (Regional Doctor Fostering Act). The ministry had given notice of the draft enforcement decree in Jan., but re-notified a revised version after collecting opinions from various sectors.
The draft enforcement decree reflects the Health and Medical Policy Deliberation Committee's decision on the scale of training physician personnel. It requires that "at least 10%" of the total quota of 32 medical schools outside Seoul be selected through the regional doctor admissions track.
It also stipulates that all those selected through the regional doctor admissions track must have graduated from a middle and high school in the relevant area. The middle school location requirement to apply for the regional doctor admissions track was changed from "non-capital region" to "metropolitan area," meaning the area adjacent to where the medical school is located.
The goal is to select students who grew up in the area as regional doctors and require service there, thereby fostering regional doctors who will settle long term in the region. The middle school location requirement will apply starting with the 2027 academic year admissions.
An official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "The aim is to select students who grew up in the area as regional doctors and require mandatory service to foster regional doctors who will settle long term," adding, "We reflected concerns that there could be adverse effects, such as middle school students studying in the provinces."