Enrollment increase in Taiwan's NDMC pharmacy program sparks controversy

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Grassroots Pharmacists Association said Wednesday the National Defense Medical Center's Pharmacy School has nearly tripled its admissions over the past 12 years, a trend that could lead to an oversupply of pharmacists.

According to the association, admissions to the pharmacy school grew from 10 students in 2013 to 19 last year, and further increased to 28 this year. However, it said the Ministry of Education has not reduced enrollment quotas for pharmacy programs at other universities.

Grassroots Pharmacists Association Chair Shen Tsai-ying (沈采穎) said the ministry had promised in September to consult with pharmacists' associations before deciding on pharmacy school enrollment numbers. However, this year's increase in enrollment at NDMC pharmacy school was made without prior notice, Shen noted.

Shen said that, according to data from the health ministry, Taiwan is not facing a shortage of pharmacists. She noted that in 2020, member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development had an average of 8.6 pharmacists per 10,000 people, while Taiwan had as many as 13, suggesting a potential oversupply.

Most OECD members are highly developed countries, such as the US, Japan, Germany, France, and the UK, whose combined GDP accounts for more than two-thirds of the global total.

The association added that the education and health ministries should revise the allocation system for pharmacy school enrollment quotas. It suggested capping annual pharmacy student admissions at 1,148 to prevent an imbalance in the number of pharmacists.

In June, the education and health ministries approved a policy allowing the schools of post-baccalaureate medicine at National Tsing Hua University, National Chung Hsing University, and National Sun Yat-sen University to convert their publicly funded medical students into self-funded general students. This change will increase enrollment at each school from 23 to 35 students.

In response, the Taiwan Medical Association, along with 28 other medical organizations, said the move could push the total number of medical students in Taiwan close to 1,600 annually. They warned that this would undermine the long-standing policy of keeping the annual number of medical students at 1,300 and lead to an oversupply of medical professionals.

To address the issue, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源), and Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) met on Monday and agreed to maintain the annual number of medical students at 1,300. They also decided that any changes to medical school enrollment quotas must first be discussed with medical associations and medical school deans. The issue of over-enrollment at the three universities will be subject to further review.