As the calls grow for fostering a professional workforce in the biopharmaceutical industry, Korea’s next-generation flagship sector, experts call for integrated management led by the government.In an article published in the industrial brief of the Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI)
The nation should check its healthcare system before it gets too late to effectively prepare for repeated disastrous infectious diseases, like new influenza, MERS, and Covid-19, experts pointed out Tuesday.At a joint forum co-hosted by three organizations, including the Korean Federation of Science
As experts expected, Korea's new Covid-19 cases are on the resurge in winter, reaching a three-month high on Tuesday.The resurgence came when the quarantine authorities carefully sounded out the possibility of lifting indoor mask mandates, as eagerly anticipated by the public.According to the Korea
The government will introduce a system to evaluate and certify institutions that attract foreign patients.The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that an “amendment to the implementation decree of the act on supporting overseas medical advance and attracting foreign patients” was approved at
An annual average of 11.2 billion won ($8.36 million) flows out of the state health insurance fund due to short-term foreign sojourners of less than six months registered as beneficiaries.Rep. Lee Jong-seong of the ruling People Power Party said so on Monday, based on his analysis of the National He
Korea added 25,667 new Covid-19 infections, including 63 cases from abroad, bringing the total caseload to 27,754,149, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure is the highest caseload for a Monday since Sep. 12, when the country reported 36,917 cases.The nation
There is a hole in Korea’s Covid-19 response system.The government emphasizes the need to return to the general healthcare system but provides few backup measures or support, putting more strain on the medical field. Under the Covid-19 response system from which “even the government wants to escape,
The government has relaxed regulations on the prescription for antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), allowing doctors other than psychiatrists to prescribe the drug multiple times.The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Nov. 30 that it would change the ant
Adolescents aged 12-17 will be able to receive Pfizer’s bivalent Covid-19 vaccine that has increased efficacy against the Omicron variant from next week.According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the target of the winter booster vaccination will be expanded from the cu
A civic group strongly criticized the government and its party, after an amendment to the National Health Insurance Act failed to pass the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee’s subcommittee due to partisan disagreement Thursday.The amendment bill contained the expansion of state funding f
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) commissioner Peck Kyong-ran suggested the timing for adjusting the obligation to wear indoor masks will come as early as January next year.“We are reviewing a policy of adjusting the provisions of administrative orders and fines for compliance w
Some patients know there are drugs for their diseases but cannot use them.In reality, however, most patients find it hardly imaginable to use expensive and uninsured new drugs when treatments for rare, incurable diseases are developed one after another, and their prices keep hitting record-high leve
The National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee on Wednesday agreed to send the so-called “Good Samaritan Act (Amendment to the Emergency Medical Care Act),” to the parliament’s plenary session.The revision bill aims to exempt doctors’ criminal responsibility when providing medical assistance i
Exports of the Korean healthcare industry are expected to increase more than 5 percent in 2023, compared to 2022, a report said.The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) released the report on this year’s health export trends and the outlook for next year at a press conference on Wedne
The Minister of the Interior and Safety said that the government will discuss whether mandatory wearing of masks indoors is necessary and come up with a final decision by the end of this month."In early November, the government announced that it would promote easing of the mandatory indoor mask-wear
Korea added 77,604 new Covid-19 infections, including 81 cases from abroad, bringing the total caseload to 27,408,854, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). The figure is the highest since Sept. 14, when the country reported 93,949 cases.The nation also reported 24 mor
Korea's 159 vaccine-related companies attained combined sales of 3.4 trillion won ($2.63 billion) and an export amount of 628.7 billion won last year.On Tuesday, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced a report titled “Fact-finding survey of the do
The Korean Federation Medical Activist Groups for Health Right (KFHR), a medical activist group, urged the Korean government to disclose the details of its Covid-19 vaccine purchase deal with Pfizer.The civic group made such a demand after a recent patent dispute between Moderna and Pfizer.In August
Jung Ki-suck, head of the National Advisory Committee on Infectious Disease Crisis Response, expressed opposition to some local governments' plans to lift indoor face mask rules autonomously from next year."If only one region lifts the indoor mask duty, there might come a situation where patients in
Korea Research-based Pharma Industry Association (KRPIA) expressed concerns over the government's plan to additionally reference Australia when setting drug prices.KRPIA represents the offshoots of 47 multinational pharmaceutical companies operating in the Korean market.The association's opinion cam