The government has finalized detailed standards to implement the "regional doctor system," which trains doctors in the regions and requires them to work in those regions for a set period.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 10th that the draft enforcement decree of the Act on the Training and Support of Regional Doctors was approved at a Cabinet meeting.
The enforcement decree was prepared to resolve imbalances in medical personnel and disparities in health care between regions, and includes detailed standards such as the selection ratio for regional doctors, tuition support, and mandatory service areas.
According to the decree, 32 medical schools nationwide, excluding Seoul, must select at least 10% of their total enrollment through the regional doctor track. The selection must be filled 100% with "regional students" who graduated from middle and high schools and resided during enrollment in the medical school's location or adjacent areas.
Students selected through the regional doctor track will receive financial support for tuition, textbooks, practice fees, and housing. However, support will be suspended in cases such as leaves of absence, repeating a year, disciplinary action, or transfer to another department. The decree also sets out procedures for repayment if the mandatory service is not fulfilled.
Those selected as regional doctors must serve for 10 years in designated areas based on the location of their high school. However, if there are no medical institutions available for employment in the area or if specialist training is difficult, a separate service area may be designated.
For contracted regional doctors, the contract period will be set at a minimum of 5 years and a maximum of 7 years, but may be extended within a maximum of 10 years depending on regional medical conditions.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to implement the related enforcement decree and enforcement rules from the date of promulgation after publication in the official gazette.
Kwak Soon-heon, director-general for health care policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "A systemic foundation has been established to select talent who grew up in the regions and train them as core personnel for regional health care," and added, "Starting with the 2027 academic year, we will introduce the regional doctor selection track to reduce care gaps and ensure that essential medical services are available in the regions."