Location for National Medical School Confirmed as Namwon… Securing 112 Professors Remains a Challenge

The location for the National Medical School has been finalized as Namwon. With the opening scheduled for 2029, securing faculty and establishing a clinical practicum system have emerged as core tasks.

On the 1st, the National Medical School Establishment Preparation Committee reviewed the suitability assessment results from the Infrastructure Expert Committee and resolved to designate Namwon City in Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province as the location for the National Medical School. The decision was based on the judgment that its proximity to Namwon Hospital facilitates the linkage of regional and public health education with clinical practicums, and that securing a significant portion of the planned site allows for rapid preparation for opening. Consistency in policy following the announcement of the Namwon establishment in 2018, regional acceptance, as well as future possibilities for campus expansion and regional linkage were also considered.

The government plans to open the National Medical School in 2029 and begin its educational program the following year. As a four-year graduate university primarily recruiting university graduates, the annual admission quota is 100 students. Once all four grade levels are filled, it will educate 400 students. The system provides education specialized in public health and mandates a 15-year compulsory service period after graduation at administrative institutional investors and public health institutional investors.

Lee Hyung-hoon, Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated during a briefing on the results of the fourth meeting of the National Medical School Establishment Preparation Committee held at the Government Seoul Complex that day, "Securing facilities and equipment is possible if done with speed over time and budget, but there are many concerns regarding professors and faculty."

Ko Hyung-woo, Regional Essential Medical Policy Officer of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, explained, "According to the standards of the Medical Education Evaluation Institute, more than 112 full-time professors are required regardless of student numbers." By field, this includes 25 in basic medicine, one each in medical education and medical humanities, and 85 in clinical medicine. However, the scale of professors to be stationed in Namwon and specific securing plans were not presented. Plans are underway to formulate measures in consultation with an education-related expert committee.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare intends to broadly review personnel from national medical institutional investors and regional specialists to compose the faculty. The plan is to recruit personnel capable of serving as professors among staff at institutions such as the National Medical Center, National Cancer Center, National Rehabilitation Hospital, and National Mental Health Center, as well as specialists active in the region.

Time is also required from the start of education until actual specialized personnel are produced. Students entering in 2030 will complete four years of education and graduate for the first time in 2034. Residency training is also necessary to work as a specialist. Lee (Vice Minister) explained, "While our minds are eager, it takes time to cultivate specialized personnel in the public health field," adding, "We will cultivate personnel with a long-term roadmap."

Education will be conducted centered on Namwon, but multiple public health institutional investors will be utilized for clinical practicums. The adjacent Namwon Hospital is scheduled to be converted into the 'National Medical Center Namwon Hospital,' operated by the state, and gradually expanded to approximately 500 beds.

The government explained that the National Medical School differs in purpose from regional medical schools, which train doctors for specific regions. Lee (Vice Minister) mentioned difficulties in staffing public health institutional investors such as the National Fire Service Hospital and Veterans Hospitals, as well as the issue of securing epidemiological investigation personnel at the KDCA. The intent is to supply personnel to public health fields required by the state, including infectious disease response and health policy, in addition to regional clinical care. The specialty subjects available for graduates' residency will also be determined according to this purpose.

Lee (Vice Minister) stated, "We plan to determine specialized subjects through public announcement after reviewing factors such as public health demand and the characteristics of compulsory service institutional investors," adding, "It is highly likely that not all departments will be offered, unlike general university hospitals or general hospitals."