The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), which has been in a legal battle against tobacco companies for damage compensation worth 53.3 billion won ($40.4 million) for nine years, draws renewed attention by presenting results that prove the causal link between smoking and cancer.In 2014, NHIS fi
Korea is expected to become one of three nations that have succeeded in developing an anthrax vaccine after developing the vaccine for 26 years.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDA) said Thursday that it will apply for a product license for a domestically developed anthrax vaccine t
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said Wednesday that it would provide "prior information" for 6,237 doctors likely to prescribe methylphenidate, a narcotic and psychotropic drug treating ADHD to encourage their proper prescription and use.The ministry will analyze the prescription informa
Korea is readjusting its approach to Covid-19. Commencing this Thursday, the country intends to classify the Covid-19 infection severity at its least severe, prompting a sequence of policy modifications that liken the management of the virus to that of influenza.In the past, the government covered t
The Ministry of Health and Welfare has finalized its budget for fiscal year 2024.It expanded budgets to establish a regionally integrated essential medical care system and secure global competitiveness in the bio and digital health industries.The ministry said its budget for FY 2024 won approval at
Among Seoul's 25 districts, also known as “gu” in Korea, three affluent neighborhoods—Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, and Songpa-gu—exhibited the lowest cancer mortality rate from 2019 to 2021, a report showed.Based on the findings of the "2022 Seoul Health Disparity Monitoring Report" published by the Seoul
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) and the Korea Cosmetics Association (KCA) have confirmed 155 violations after examining online advertisements for cosmetics claiming efficacy related to “diet” and “body shape maintenance.”The MFDS and the association checked 322 cases from July 24 to 28 a
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KCDC) plans to appeal after losing the first trial to cancel the refusal of compensation for a man in his 30s who died after receiving a Covid-19 vaccine.However, the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee has formally requested that the agenc
Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said it would maintain the import ban on seafood produced from Japan’s eight prefectures, while Prime Minister Han Duk-soo asked the Korean people to “trust the government and trust science” amid Japan’s Thursday release of the treated radioactive wate
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) will downgrade the Covid-19 pandemic from Level 2 to Level 4, the lowest of the country's infection level, on Aug. 31, the agency's chief said on Wednesday.The move comes after cases in the country have been finally slowing down.According to the
Discussions on reimbursing the neurofibromatosis drug Koselugo (selumetinib), designated Korea’s first fast-track drug and approved by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, have been stalled for over two years.At its eighth meeting earlier this month, Drug Reimbursement Evaluation Committee under th
An increasing number of Korean children aged six or younger are suffering from adenovirus infections, presenting cold symptoms like fever, cough, and pink eye, the government said. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the number of hospitalized individuals with adenov
Drug price negotiations for two spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) drugs --Spinraza (nusinersen) and Evrysdi (risdiplam) – have reportedly failed to settle by the deadline, deepening the concerns of Korean patients, according to sources Monday.The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) failed to narrow
Starting this September, the eligibility check for the first-time patients of telemedicine pilot project will be linked to the National Health Insurance Service's “treatment recipients’ eligibility check.”Through this procedure, the NHIS will pre-check patient eligibility before reimbursing non-face
Legoland Korea Resort has initiated a recall for its unicorn hat after a Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) study found a hazardous substance that can cause deformed childbirth and erectile dysfunction.According to Legoland, on Tuesday, a product safety inspection conducted by the Korean
Doctors weren't the only ones concerned about the collapse of the pediatric healthcare system, it turned out recently.Parents, who have to wait in line early in the morning, even before hospitals open, to receive pediatric care, have come forward to call for the government to take action.Recently, t
Korea needs a continuous national response policy that allows people with dementia to maintain a dignified life without being excluded from society, a government-invested agency said Wednesday.The Health Insurance Research Institute of the National Health Insurance Service said so in a report titled
The Korean Society for Quality in Health Care (KoSQua) will host the Mint Festival, a public campaign to increase public awareness of the need to improve healthcare quality and patient safety, from Aug. 21 to 27.The event, co-organized by KoSQua and the Korea Hospital Association, will take place at
Over the past five years, the number of people with atopic dermatitis has only slightly increased, but its medical expenses more than doubled.The increased medical cost alone amounts to 100 billion won ($75 million).Health insurance officials attributed the sharp increase to their inclusion of sever
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) is considering expanding the number of people eligible for free influenza vaccinations.According to the KDCA on Friday, the agency has been conducting a study to determine which vaccines should included first in the national vaccination program