The Ministry of Health and Welfare's budget for 2024 has been fixed at about 122.37 trillion won ($94.06 billion), up 12.1 percent from this year. The budget for strengthening essential medical care increased by 57 billion won during the National Assembly deliberations.The ministry said Thursday tha
On Monday, Korea initiated the administration of Novavax's updated Covid-19 vaccine to prevent infection from the XBB.1.5 subvariant, marking the first instance of its use in Asia.Novavax’s updated Covid-19 vaccine (NVX-CoV2601), the only non-messenger RNA formulation to target the XBB.1.5 subvarian
Following the initial pilot project for herb medicine reimbursement, a mere 33.2 percent of participating organizations prescribed the medicine, leading to a financial execution rate of only 3.9 percent.However, according to health officials, the government will push ahead with the second pilot proj
Despite the decline in the pediatric population, the number of "pediatric chronic multiple diseases" and the cost of treatment has increased, providing another reason for maintaining the pediatric specialty care system, a report said.The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) said so
The increasing use of mobile apps to make medical clinic appointments is polarizing access to healthcare in Korea. On the morning of December 9, a pediatric clinic in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, found itself filled with children and their parents eagerly waiting to see a doctor.The majority had previ
Up to one in every five Koreans has been diagnosed with hypertension and 9 percent with diabetes, with 90 of them receiving treatment.On the other hand, the rate of recognizing early symptoms of stroke was low, remaining in the 60 percent range, and that of recognizing early symptoms of myocardial i
An opposition lawmaker pushes to expand the number of medical institutions that can provide CAR-T therapies, including Kymriah, to treat cancer patients.Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) submitted a bill to amend the Act on Safety and Support for Advanced Regenerative Medic
The Ministry of Health and Welfare will expand the number of medical institutions subject to deploying dedicated staff for patient safety staff from 25 percent to 40 percent by 2027.On Thursday, the ministry held the 14th National Patient Safety Committee and approved the 2nd Patient Safety Comprehe
The incidence of suspected influenza (flu) cases surged to a five-year high in the second week of December in Korea, particularly impacting children and adolescents, the Korean health authorities said on Friday. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), the rate of patient
Korea's injury-related medical expenses reached 5.3 trillion won ($4.9 billion) in 2021, the highest in a decade, according to a survey.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Thursday that it is publishing the 13th National Injury Statistics in collaboration with 13 other agenci
The survival rate of cardiac arrest patients in Korea was 7.8 percent in 2022, up 0.5 percentage points from 7.3 percent in 2021.The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the National Fire Agency (NFA) held the “12th Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survey Symposium” on Wednesday. They announc
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said Tuesday that the infectious disease classification of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, will be downgraded from Class 2 to Class 3 in the four-tier level system starting in 2024.Mpox is an acute, febrile, rash disease caused by infection w
Regulators must make the most of ChatGPT to facilitate the examination of digital healthcare devices, an expert has proposed. To support companies that are challenging the development of digital healthcare, it is necessary to borrow the hand of artificial intelligence (AI), he added.Welt CEO Kang Su
Approximately seven out of 10 botulinum toxin (BTX) users in Korea are exhibiting signs of suspected resistance, underscoring the importance of a more cautious approach in determining the appropriate treatment cycle and dosage, experts said on Wednesday. Botulinum Toxin Safety Committee, a group of
The government on Tuesday unveiled plans to implement an innovative mental health policy, encompassing four key measures. This comprehensive approach aims to provide support for individuals at risk of or experiencing mental illness, covering prevention, early treatment, recovery, and facilitating a
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said that it would step up efforts to monitor the misuse of medical narcotics, rehabilitate drug addiction, and strengthen prevention education next year."This year, we focused on laying the legal foundation and securing the budget to prevent medical shopp
The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) has called for monitoring side effects in patients receiving chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapies. On Friday, the ministry distributed a safety letter concerning CAR-T cell therapies to medical professionals, patients, and related parties. Th
A plan to introduce an “elderly primary care physician system” is being pushed to improve the health of older adults and prevent and treat diseases.Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the Democratic Party of Korea introduced the “Elderly Welfare Act Amendment Bill' on Thursday.Korea's primary care physician sys
The Omicron subvariant Covid-19 vaccine developed by Novavax and produced by SK bioscience has won emergency use authorization (EUA) in Korea.The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) said Wednesday that it has decided to grant EUA for "Novavax COVID-19 Vaccine 2023-2024 Compound," a genetically r
The National Assembly is pushing to mandate braille and sign language use on medical certificates and prescriptions for visually and hearing-impaired people.Rep. Kim Min-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea recently proposed a bill to amend the Medical Service Act to that effect.The main content of
