Following a number of public health disasters this year, including the Middle East respiratory syndrome outbreak, South Korea’s Health Ministry announced Monday that it will invest 52.5 billion won ($45 million) in research studying infectious diseases next year.

The ministry allocated a total of 532.2 billion won for all of its research and development projects, including research for cancer, chronic diseases and infectious diseases. Next year’s budget for the specific cause is 7.6 billion won more than the budget this year.

Among all projects, research for prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer and chronic diseases will receive 131.1 billion won. Research projects that aim to come up with new medical technologies and businesses will be given 172.3 billion won.

For research projects for infectious diseases such as MERS, the ministry set aside 52.5 billion won. The government is also to invest 85.4 billion won in building research-focused hospitals.

The Health Ministry and its affiliate the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have received much public criticism this year for their handling of a number of public health disasters, including the MERS outbreak, which had 186 confirmed cases and claimed 38 lives here.

The outbreak dramatically affected everyday lives of Koreans and the economy, while the country’s overall health care system and hospital culture were questioned.

In October, a total of 55 graduate students at Konkuk University collectively developed pneumonia after working at three laboratories in the College of Animal Bioscience and Technology building. It was later revealed the infected students had been exposed to Saccharopolyspora rectivirgula, a bacteria that causes hypersensitivity pneumonitis, an inflammation of the alveoli within the lung triggered by inhaled dust.

In September, it was revealed that some 120 infants were exposed to tuberculosis while staying at a postpartum center in Seoul from June 4 to Aug. 18, after one of the nurses had been diagnosed with the disease, but came to work regardless.

To better handle infectious diseases in the future, the Health Ministry earlier this year announced that all general hospitals with 300 or more patient beds in Korea would be required to establish negative air pressure rooms to prevent cross-contamination.

It also announced plans to hire epidemiologists, who will be the first responders to public health emergencies by investigating disease outbreaks and detecting new microbes.

However, the ministry recently revealed that the number of medical professionals who applied for the positions fell short of the number of people needed. The ministry was planning on hiring seven professionals with at least six years of experience as certified physicians as epidemiologists, but less than seven doctors applied for the positions, the ministry said.

Critics have pointed out that the particular positions should be regular full-time positions, instead of the current two-year contract posts. And without job security, not many medical professionals would be interested in the positions.

Meanwhile, former Health Minister Moon Hyung-pyo, who was replaced by President Park Geun-hye for his inept handling of the MERS outbreak, has been controversially nominated to be the head of the state-run National Pension Service. Moon, a former economist whose expertise was in pension reform, has been openly against the main opposition party New Politics Alliance for Democracy’s plan to increase the retirement income replacement rate to 50 percent from the previous 40 percent.

Public Pension for All, a nongovernmental organization, held a rally in front of the National Pension Service building in Seoul, protesting against the Health Ministry’s decision to nominate Moon as the head of the state-run agency on Monday.



By Claire Lee (dyc@heraldcorp.com)