The head of the special presidential committee on medical reform urged the nation's doctors to have faith in the efforts of the government and the panel to reflect the medical community's demands in the reform plan and encouraged them to participate in discussions.

Appearing on KBS 1 Radio on Tuesday, committee chair Noh Yun-hong said the panel and the government are actively communicating with doctors' groups, pledging to encourage their participation through various channels.

The committee had launched last Thursday in the absence of key parties, such as the Korean Medical Association(KMA) and the Korean Intern Resident Association(KIRA), who have expressed their opposition to the proposed reforms.

Though the medical community has called to increase the number of doctors on the committee, its chair drew the line at reforming the committee, saying that the existing structure is sufficient to reflect their opinions.

Noh reaffirmed that the exact number of the government's planned medical school admissions quota hike will not be up for panel discussion, emphasizing that it is a social body tasked to examine the greater issue of reforming the nation's medical services.