Proposed physician-scientist training budget falls 16.6% to 919 eok 8,700 man won

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 18th that next year's budget proposal allocates 919 eok 8,700 man won to physician-scientist training. That is 182 eok 7,200 man won, or 16.6%, less than this year's original budget of 1,102 eok 5,900 man won.

Physician-scientists are interdisciplinary specialists who hold both a medical license and a Ph.D. and conduct research on subjects such as new treatments. Government support for the field began in South Korea in 2019, and 128 physician-scientists had been produced through February this year.

Within the overall program, next year's allocation for interdisciplinary physician-scientist training is 75 eok 3,900 man won, down 13 eok 3,600 man won, or 15.1%, from this year's original budget. Funding for undergraduate education, which provides medical students with interdisciplinary classes and research infrastructure, fell by more than half, from 19 eok 2,000 man won to 9 eok won.

The research support program's budget fell 16.7%, from 1,013 eok 8,400 man won this year to 844 eok 4,800 man won next year. For 20 teams conducting joint research with overseas researchers, support was reduced from 15 eok won per team annually under a five-year support arrangement to 10 eok won annually.

The Ministry of Planning and Budget's integrated fiscal program evaluation influenced the reductions. Experts contributing to the evaluation report argued that training medical research scientists primarily from practicing physicians carried high opportunity costs amid a physician shortage, and proposed a system in which physicians focus on research planning and clinical advice while specialist scientists lead research. The Korea Institute of S&T Evaluation and Planning assessed that evidence was insufficient to show overseas collaboration would lead to major achievements such as Nobel Prizes.

Choi Hyung-jin, a professor in the anatomy department at Seoul National University College of Medicine who participates in international joint research, criticized the government's understanding of physician-scientists and said such circumstances would discourage physicians from pursuing research. He said there was even discussion among the 20 teams of halting research and exercising a veto.

Lee Min-gu, head of the physician-scientist training program at Yonsei University College of Medicine, argued that people who understand both medicine and science can conduct research on new drugs and medical technologies more efficiently. He said opportunities should begin at the undergraduate level so students can choose a physician-scientist career.