The Progressive Party on Tuesday urged the government to establish a medical school and a tertiary-level hospital at each of Suncheon National University and Mokpo National University.
At a press conference at the National Assembly that day, the party argued that opening a single new medical school would not be enough to address the reality of patients traveling long distances for treatment. "To guarantee the right to health and the right to life for residents in both the eastern and western parts of South Jeolla Province, each region needs its own medical school and university hospital," the party said.
The party called for new medical schools at both universities, with the accompanying hospitals built to the scale of tertiary general hospitals with at least 1,000 beds — capable of handling critical emergency care, treatment of cancer and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and the training of medical personnel.
"The collapse of regional healthcare is not merely an inconvenience for one area — it is a matter of balanced national development and the right to life," the party said, adding that establishing medical schools and university hospitals "is not simply a cost, but an investment in making regions livable."
The party also urged the government to clearly reflect the establishment of medical schools and tertiary hospitals at both universities in its official plans and legal and administrative documents.
The press conference was attended by Progressive Party leader Kim Jong-hun, Assembly member Jeon Jong-deok, Kim Ju-eop, chair of the party's South Jeolla Province-Gwangju integrated special city chapter, and Lee Seong-su, former chair of the party's South Jeolla Province chapter.
Mokpo National University and Suncheon National University are pursuing a merger on the premise that a new national medical school will be established, but the two institutions are at odds over where the medical school should be located.
sij@heraldcorp.com
