Revitalizing obstetrics and gynecology, a pathway to restoring medicine in Republic of Korea

Background: In February 2024, the Korean government introduced the “Essential Medical Package,” along with an increase in medical school admissions of 2,000 students, resulting in a total annual intake of 5,058 for the beginning of 2025. This sudden policy shift precipitated significant turmoil within the medical sector, prompting many resident doctors to resign and medical students to take leaves of absence. Despite numerous appeals for the revision of these policies, the government has widely disregarded these concerns and adopted more restrictive measures, thereby exacerbating tensions within the healthcare community.Current Concepts: Despite Korea’s doctor-to-population ratio being lower than the OECD average, Korea demonstrates remarkable positive health indicators, including low avoidable mortality rates and high life expectancy. Nevertheless, critical specialties, particularly obstetrics and gynecology, are facing significant challenges. These challenges are compounded by policies that offer public health services such as complementary prenatal screenings, which reduce revenue for private clinics. Nevertheless, critical specialties, particularly obstetrics and gynecology, are facing significant challenges, compounded by policies that offer public health services, such as complementary prenatal screenings, which reduce revenue for private clinics. Consequently, this situation has exacerbated the decline of private obstetric services, placing additional strain on the healthcare system.Discussion and Conclusion: To effectively address the challenges facing the Korean healthcare system, it is imperative to implement targeted reforms that prioritize increasing compensation and mitigating legal risks for high-risk specialties, rather than merely expanding medical school admissions indiscriminately. Furthermore, transparent and data-driven workforce planning is essential to foster sustainable improvements that support the efficiency and accessibility of healthcare services in Korea. Without these reforms, there is a significant risk that the quality of medical services will continue to decline, thereby adversely affecting future generations’ access to essential healthcare.