Both ruling and opposition party lawmakers have assessed that the government had not been fully prepared in expanding the admissions quota of medical schools. 

Legislators on the National Assembly’s education and health committees issued such assessment during a joint hearing on the nation’s medical vacuum on Friday. 

Ruling People Power Party(PPP) lawmakers called on the government to devise measures to address the damage faced by patients due to the medical vacuum resulting from the collective resignation of trainee doctors. 

Opposition legislators, on their part, denounced the government for hurriedly deciding on the quota expansion. 

PPP Rep. Kim Dai-sik told education minister Lee Ju-ho at the hearing that the nation’s medical vacuum is further worsening when the government’s expansion plan was pursued to prevent a vacuum in essential medical care.

Main opposition Democratic Party Rep. Kim Yoon denounced a failure in addressing regional disparities in the number of doctors.