The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 20th that it will preannounce legislation on the enforcement decree and enforcement rule for the Act on Fostering and Supporting Regional Doctors (Regional Doctor Fostering Act) until the 2nd of next month.
The enforcement decree and enforcement rule include matters delegated by the Regional Doctor Fostering Act, which takes effect on the 24th of next month.
Regional doctors have been presented as an alternative to fill gaps in regional and essential medical care, and are divided into "service type" and "contract type." Service-type regional doctors are medical students selected through the regional doctor admissions track who are required to serve for 10 years in a designated region after graduation.
Under the newly established enforcement decree, universities where the regional doctor admissions track applies are 32 universities in 14 metropolitan cities and provinces with medical schools, excluding Seoul.
At those universities, students must be selected through the regional doctor track according to the ratio determined in consultation by the Minister of Health and Welfare and the Minister of Education.
The state and local governments must support students admitted through the regional doctor admissions track with tuition, textbook fees, dormitory fees, living expenses, and more.
The Minister of Health and Welfare may revoke a medical license if a regional doctor has been suspended from the medical license three or more times or has failed to fulfill the mandatory service.
Service-type regional doctors have designated areas for mandatory service, but if there are no medical institutions where they can work, they may be assigned a separate service area.
To support regional doctors, the Minister of Health and Welfare may commission and operate central and regional regional doctor support centers at corporations or national university hospitals with expertise in regional health care and medical workforce training.