The Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Province Council pointed out a structural crisis in the overall public healthcare system in the region and called for concrete measures to establish a public medical school, normalize the management of local medical institutions, and improve the medical system.

During the 423rd regular session held on the 10th, Assembly members Lee Jeong-rin (Namwon 1) and Jeon Yong-tae (Jinan) raised concerns about the disparity in medical care between regions and the imbalance in medical infrastructure through their five-minute speeches. Assembly member Yeom Young-seon (Jeongeup 2) drew attention by proposing a resolution urging the government to come up with measures to resolve the management crisis of local medical institutions.

Assembly member Lee Jeong-rin emphasized, "Due to the concentration of medical personnel in the capital region and major cities, the gap in treatable mortality rates between regions has reached a serious level," urging for the prompt handling of the Public Medical School Act as a realistic alternative to save regional public healthcare.

He stated, "The treatable mortality rate in Chungbuk is 49.94 per 100,000 population, which is more than 10 higher than Seoul (39.55)," and pointed out, "Despite the statistical evidence of the gap in the right to life between regions, the institutional response is being delayed." He further expressed, "The establishment of the Namwon public medical school decided through government consultations in 2018 is still adrift due to opposition from medical associations, meaning the establishment of a system for the local settlement of public medical personnel is being postponed."

Assembly member Jeon Yong-tae strongly urged for substantial financial support and institutional improvements at the provincial level while addressing the institutional inequality issues faced by the Jinan County Medical Center, the only public hospital among the three provincial medical institutions in Jeonbuk. He emphasized, "The Jinan County Medical Center, the only municipal hospital among the three provincial medical institutions in Jeonbuk, receives no support from the province when it comes to national subsidy matching," and stated, "Being discriminated against for being a public hospital for the same provincial residents due to different administrative bodies is a clear structural inequality."

The Jinan County Medical Center, the only public hospital in the eastern Busan area since its opening in 2015, has been responsible for medical blind spots and has achieved excellent results in various evaluations such as emergency medical facility grade A and top-tier health checkup facility. The former assembly member stressed, "The fact that such a hospital is facing a survival crisis in front of legal and institutional barriers poses a significant threat to the right to life of provincial residents," demanding the fulfillment of Governor Kim Kwan-young's pledge to legislate financial support for the Jinan County Medical Center.

Assembly member Yeom Young-seon proposed a resolution at the session urging for the normalization of local medical institution management. He diagnosed, "Since 2023, consecutive deficits have been accumulated in 35 local medical institutions nationwide, caused by a combination of factors such as the suspension of general treatments due to the designation of COVID-19 specialized hospitals, inadequate national compensation, and medical personnel outflow due to medical disputes."

Yeom argued, "Local medical institutions are not just simple medical facilities but the core foundation of regional healthcare systems, which is currently crumbling," and insisted, "The government must immediately come up with practical measures such as medical staff recruitment and operational support."

Although the statements and resolutions of the three assembly members address different regional issues, they all share a common awareness of the imbalance, instability, and inequality in the overall public healthcare system. The public healthcare in Jeonbuk is facing triple pressure in terms of personnel, finances, and institutions, highlighting the urgent need for the development of a comprehensive Jeonbuk-style public healthcare plan that deals with these issues in an integrated manner.