Empty Classrooms in Medical School and Medical Gap in PNU Hospitals
Although the semester has started, the classrooms at the Medical School were empty. PNU hospital is now in emergency management phase 3. Professors in the Medical School are still considering collectively submitting resignation letters.
In Pusan National University (PNU), the School of Medicine and the hospitals have been in confusion for more than three months over the expansion of medical school admissions. The classrooms that should be full of students are empty, and there are medical gaps and deficits in PNU hospitals with reduced operations.
On May 1st, the classrooms at PNU Medical School were empty. There were few students passing through the buildings. As the nationwide alliance of medical students’ leave of absence, which began in February, prolonged, the medical school of PNU regarded April 15th as the deadline to prevent collective flunking among students and announced the commencement of classes (reported by “Channel PNU” on April 11th, 2024). However, except for practical training, all lectures were conducted online. A representative from PNU Medical School stated, “Only 3rd and 4th-year students with clinical practice are attending face-to-face classes. We cannot tell how many students are attending classes.”
Since the government announced the expansion of medical school quotas in February, the confusion in the medical and educational fields has not subsided. Lectures at PNU Medical School have not resumed fully, and PNU hospitals have entered into emergency management phase 3. Amidst this situation, on April 30th, PNU decided to increase the medical school quota from 125 to 163 for 2025 and to 200 from 2026 onwards. PNU has submitted the expansion plan to the Korean Council for University Education (KCUE) and plans to revise the regulations through deliberations at the academic affairs meeting scheduled for May 7th.
The situation at PNU hospital continues to deteriorate. Due to the absence of specialists and reduction in surgeries, the operation is not as smooth as before. A representative from PNU Yangsan Hospital said, “In cases where surgery can be postponed, we are seeking patients’ understanding and deferring some surgeries.” Furthermore, it operates three wards as one sector, and faces daily deficits of five to six billion won. On April 19th, as the situation worsened, PNU Yangsan Hospital announced that it would be in phase 3, the highest level of emergency management. A representative from the hospital said, “It is expected that the amount of loss will continue to increase until the situation is resolved.”
Professors in the School of Medicine are still considering collectively submitting resignation letters. They stated that they intend to submit resignation letters starting from March 25th (reported by “Channel PNU” on March 29th, 2024) but have not yet submitted them. Oh Sae-Ock (Prof. of anatomy, PNU), the Chairperson of the Council of School of Medicine Professors, said that there are about 200 resignation letters at the PNU School of Medicine TF Team. Prof. Oh said, “We plan to start submitting resignation letters based on the voluntary intentions of the professors (if there will be mass leave of absence and flunking of medical students and the judicial process for specialists).”
Resistance from the medical community regarding the expansion of medical school enrollment seems to persist. The primary reason for their resistance is the lack of clear justification from the government for the increase in medical school seats. Prof. Oh said, “The adjustment within the range of 50-100% is neither based on scientific estimation nor on consensus, making it difficult to accept.” On April 30th, the court intervened in the government’s plan to expand medical school enrollment. The Seoul High Court demanded that the government submit specific evidence for the expansion of medical school enrollment by May 10th in response to an appeal to stop the expansion of medical school enrollment filed by 18 individuals, including medical school professors, specialists, and medical students against the Minister of Health and Welfare and the Minister of Education. This judicial request introduces a new variable that could delay the approval process for the expansion of medical school enrollment.
Reporter Yoon Ji-Won
Translated by Lee Soo-Hyun