Government to refine residency requirement for regional doctor selection, with priority application to Chungbuk Innovation City school district

[Financial News] The government will supplement the residency requirement for the regional doctor selection track to resolve a problem in which applicants are disqualified because the school location and the student’s place of residence fall under different medical service regions. On the 27th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said it would pre-announce a partial revision to the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Training and Support of Regional Doctors and also move ahead with related changes to ministerial notices.
The revision is intended to address restrictions that can arise in areas where one school district spans two or more medical service regions and high school freshmen are assigned within that district.
Under the current Regional Doctor Act, applicants for the regional doctor selection track must graduate from a middle or high school in the area where the medical school is located, or in a neighboring area, and must also reside in that area during their school years.
The problem arises when a single school district covers more than one medical service region. Depending on school assignment, a student’s residence and the high school’s location may fall in different regions, which can restrict eligibility for the regional doctor track even if the student actually attended school and lived in the area.
The revision would recognize the residency requirement as satisfied if, in such areas, the student lived in any one of the regions included in the school district during the school period.
The specific areas to which the rule will apply will be designated through a ministerial notice after consultation with the Ministry of Education. MOHW and the Ministry of Education surveyed metropolitan and provincial offices of education nationwide and found that Chungbuk Innovation City school district is currently the only case that fits the criteria.
Accordingly, the draft revision to the related notice includes Chungbuk Innovation City school district as the first designated area for application.
The government is moving quickly because of the schedule for the regional doctor selection track. Since the 2027 regular admissions process begins on Sept. 7, MOHW plans to hold the pre-announcement for only a short period, from Aug. 27 to 28, and complete the related procedures as quickly as possible.
Once the revision is completed, students in Chungbuk Innovation City school district will be able to apply for the regional doctor selection track if they meet the required conditions, even when school assignment causes their school and residence to fall under different medical service regions.
MOHW plans to inform medical schools that operate the regional doctor selection track, as well as metropolitan and provincial offices of education and other related institutions, about the revision so that no confusion arises when determining applicant eligibility during the regular admissions process.
The measure also serves to close a possible institutional gap in the actual selection process for the regional doctor system, which was introduced to train medical personnel for regional, essential and public healthcare. MOHW said it will collect opinions from organizations and individuals during the pre-announcement period before proceeding with the revision of the enforcement decree and related notices.

[email protected] Kang Jung-mo Reporter