This year, those scheduled for new placements as public health doctors are showing signs of refusing job training. They plan to forgo the training and serve as active-duty soldiers instead. The Ministry of Health and Welfare noted that the regional medical crisis is expected to worsen and is responding accordingly.
According to the government and the medical community on the 26th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare attempted to survey the desired placement areas for 248 trainees selected as medical public health doctors, but the plan was abandoned due to backlash.
Public health doctor trainees reportedly objected to the sudden survey starting at the training center, although the results should have been conducted after the training was completed. The ministry seems to have expedited the placement process due to movements among the trainees to serve as active-duty soldiers instead of receiving job training.
Public health doctor trainees generally complete three weeks of basic military training before gathering together for job training. During this process, they survey their preferred locations through a lottery and then make detailed placements.
The reason public health doctor trainees are opting to enlist as active-duty soldiers instead of becoming public health doctors is because of the service period. The period for public health doctors is 36 months, which is double that of active-duty soldiers, and there is a high percentage of those serving in remote areas such as islands.
Given the situation, the number of medical students enlisting as active-duty soldiers continues to rise. The number of new transfers to medical public health doctors decreased from 814 in 2017 to 255 last year.
This year, 250 were selected, similar to last year. However, since the majority are former residents who resigned due to conflicts with the medical community, it appears many wish to enlist as active-duty soldiers. Some candidates are reported to have received legal interpretations from law firms indicating that refusing job training could enable them to enlist as active-duty soldiers.
The ministry decided to transition job training to an online format to prevent gaps in public health doctors. It seems that switching to online training will make it more difficult to explicitly carry out 'non-attendance' or 'refusal.' The survey of preferred locations will be reinitiated, and after discussions with local governments regarding placements, they plan to complete placements by early next month.
They will also amend regulations to block attempts to enlist as active-duty soldiers by refusing job training.