The government said it has started a survey for medical schools to find out what they need to provide a proper education for the increased number of medical students that will enter universities next year. 

Interior minister Lee Sang-min said on Wednesday during a government meeting that the government started the survey the previous day on the schools’ demands for an increase in eight categories, including professors, facilities and equipment. 

The government plans to come up with measures to improve the conditions for medical education next month based on the survey results. 

The government repeated its calls for medical professors to actively engage in dialogue, saying that it will form a consultative body to reflect the opinions and proposals from the medical community.

Medical professors nationwide have been submitting resignations since Monday, including those from the so-called ‘Big Five’ hospitals.

Medical professors at Ulsan University, Yonsei University and Seoul National University tendered their resignations, and those at Sungkyunkwan University will follow suit on Thursday. 

Meanwhile, the Korea Medical Association(KMA), the country’s biggest doctors’ group, elected Lim Hyun-taek, the head of the Korean Pediatric Association, as its new leader.