As the Covid-19 resurgence has recently started to increase again, more people are hospitalized for Covid-19, data showed. Accordingly, hospitals are expanding the number of beds to meet the treatment demand. Citing a survey through local governments, the Central Disaster Safety and Countermeasure H
President Yoon Suk-yeol reportedly has decided to name Jee Young-mee, CEO of Institut Pasteur Korea, as the new comissioner of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA)."We have gone through personnel verification for Jee from two weeks ago and selected Jee as our final candidate," a pr
After President Yoon Suk-yeol declared to throw away ‘Moon Care,” civic groups hit back, saying it was an attempt to reduce health insurance coverage.“If President Yoon takes the lead in attacking health insurance, his government will not remain safe,” the Campaign Headquarters for Preventing Medica
Former President Moon Jae-in’s policy to enhance health insurance coverage, called Moon Jae-in care or “Moon Care,” has become a bone of contention in the political community.The controversy surfaced after the incumbent chief executive, Yoon Suk-yeol, declared to repeal his predecessor’s policy, des
Amid the Covid-19 winter resurgence trend, mathematicians predicted an increase in daily Covid-19 cases for the next two weeks. Some even forecast that the number could exceed 100,000.A team at the National Institute for Mathematical Science (NIMS) concluded that Covid-19 cases will surpass 100,000
With the increasing incidence of shingles in Korea due to the rapid population aging, GSK Korea said it would release Shingrix, a new vaccine that prevents shingles with over 90 percent efficacy. The company held a press conference Thursday to celebrate the upcoming launch of the new vaccine.Shingle
Korea’s new Covid-19 cases remained above 80,000 for the second straight day. However, despite the rise of the BN.1 mutations, officials said its spread would not be as quick as the BA.5 variant.Even amid the resurge of new virus cases, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said it
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