The presidential office has asserted that the government's decision to increase the medical school quota is "irreversible," censuring moves by doctors to take collective action as unjustifiable.

This comes as a medical association is set to discuss late Monday plans for a general strike in protest of the planned expansion of medical school admissions quota.

A senior presidential official told reporters on Monday that talks on the quota expansion have long dragged on without progress, with past administrations repeatedly failing to adopt the policy. 

The official said the country has reached a point of no return regarding the shortage of doctors, especially in essential medicine, and that there is no justification for doctors to walk out en masse.

Stressing that the number of doctors in the country only tripled, while the number of lawyers increased over ten-fold in the past 40 years, the official urged doctors to cooperate from a broader point of view beyond the realm of politics.

The official added that the government will thoroughly prepare for quota expansions, an increase of two-thousand for the 2025 academic year, while continuing dialogue to persuade the medical community.