The nation's medical community has lambasted the government for saying medical students must agree to return to school next year and end their protest against its health care reform plans or risk being denied a leave of absence.

In a statement issued Sunday, groups including the Medical Professors Association of Korea, the Korea Association of Medical Colleges and the Korean Medical Association said the plan is unconstitutional and infringes on the rights of both students and universities.

They called on the government to withdraw its conditions, saying that imposing conditions on a leave of absence is only possible under a totalitarian system.

The statement said the only way to persuade the students to return to their studies is for the government to apologize for its unilateral push for a higher medical school admissions quota and to engage in talks.

The medical community also slammed the government for proposing to condense the medical school curriculum to five years from the current six, saying that would only bring down the quality of medical services in the country.