Latest news with #KoreanMedicalAssociation
The Star
20 hours ago
- Health
- The Star
Watchful of summer Covid-19 resurgence, Korea urges older adults to get vaccinated
Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, Lee Han-kyung, visits a clinic in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and inspects hospital beds on Monday (May 26, 2025). - Photo: Yonhap SEOUL: The South Korean government is closely monitoring Covid-19 resurgences in regional neighbors including Hong Kong, China and Thailand, amid growing worries that a summer resurgence may hit the country again this year. At a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting Friday (May 30), Director Lee Han-kyung warned of worsening Covid-19 trends abroad. "In regions close to us — Hong Kong, China and Thailand — Covid-19 infections are rising, and this is a cause for concern," Lee said at the meeting. He urged senior citizens aged 65 and above, as well as residents in high-risk facilities, to get vaccinated, stressing that vaccination is key to preventing severe illness and death. According to government data, recent overseas Covid-19 cases are showing a noticeable uptick. In Hong Kong, confirmed cases for the week of May 11 to 17 totalled 977, exceeding the country's previous summer peak of 796. China's rate of positivity Covid-19 test results is steadily climbing toward last year's peak of 21.1 percent, while in Thailand, more than 65,000 new cases were reported in the three weeks following the Songkran holiday in April. Despite the global trend, the number of new Covid-19 cases in Korea remained at around 100 each week over the past month. Currently, South Korea estimates the number of confirmed cases in select hospitals on a weekly basis. Still, the government is taking a proactive stance in consideration that domestic cases last year surged sharply from late July to mid-August. Weekly confirmed cases jumped from 456 in the fourth week of July to over 1,400 by mid-August in 2023. To mitigate potential risks, health authorities have extended the vaccination period for high-risk groups until June 30, two months beyond the initial April 30 deadline. The Korean Medical Association also issued a public advisory, pointing to the seasonal temperature shifts, increased domestic and international travel and a noticeable drop in personal hygiene practices such as hand-washing. It recommended six precautionary measures: maintaining personal hygiene, wearing masks, prompt response to symptoms, testing for high-risk individuals and recent international travellers, getting vaccinated and improving indoor ventilation. Recalling difficulties caused by last summer's surge, the association emphasised that preventive habits such as hand-washing and mask-wearing remain crucial. - The Korea Herald/ANN
Korea Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- Korea Herald
Watchful of summer COVID-19 resurgence, Korea urges older adults to get vaccinated
The South Korean government is closely monitoring COVID-19 resurgences in regional neighbors including Hong Kong, China and Thailand, amid growing worries that a summer resurgence may hit the country again this year. At a Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting Friday, Director Lee Han-kyung warned of worsening COVID-19 trends abroad. "In regions close to us — Hong Kong, China and Thailand — COVID-19 infections are rising, and this is a cause for concern," Lee said at the meeting. He urged senior citizens aged 65 and above, as well as residents in high-risk facilities, to get vaccinated, stressing that vaccination is key to preventing severe illness and death. According to government data, recent overseas COVID-19 cases are showing a noticeable uptick. In Hong Kong, confirmed cases for the week of May 11 to 17 totaled 977, exceeding the country's previous summer peak of 796. China's rate of positivity COVID-19 test results is steadily climbing toward last year's peak of 21.1 percent, while in Thailand, more than 65,000 new cases were reported in the three weeks following the Songkran holiday in April. Despite the global trend, the number of new COVID-19 cases in Korea remained at around 100 each week over the past month. Currently, South Korea estimates the number of confirmed cases in select hospitals on a weekly basis. Still, the government is taking a proactive stance in consideration that domestic cases last year surged sharply from late July to mid-August. Weekly confirmed cases jumped from 456 in the fourth week of July to over 1,400 by mid-August in 2023. To mitigate potential risks, health authorities have extended the vaccination period for high-risk groups until June 30, two months beyond the initial April 30 deadline. The Korean Medical Association also issued a public advisory, pointing to the seasonal temperature shifts, increased domestic and international travel and a noticeable drop in personal hygiene practices such as hand-washing. It recommended six precautionary measures: maintaining personal hygiene, wearing masks, prompt response to symptoms, testing for high-risk individuals and recent international travelers, getting vaccinated and improving indoor ventilation. Recalling difficulties caused by last summer's surge, the association emphasized that preventive habits such as hand-washing and mask-wearing remain crucial.
Korea Herald
20-04-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
Doctors protest despite hike plan freeze, demanding full withdrawal
Despite the South Korean government's decision last week to freeze the medical school admission quota at its pre-expansion level for 2026, thousands of doctors and medical students rallied in central Seoul on Saturday, calling for a complete rollback of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration's health care reform agenda. Although the government withdrew its plan to increase medical school seats by 2,000, it simultaneously laid the legal groundwork to convene a medical workforce estimation committee tasked with analyzing long-term doctor shortages by specialty and advising future health workforce policy. Protesters argue this committee, seen as a prelude to future expansion, is an extension of Yoon's previous reform plan, which lacks transparency in its process and medical community consensus. At the rally, Kim Taek-woon, president of the Korean Medical Association, called for going completely back to the drawing board. 'We were not wrong. The government must admit its mistakes and offer a responsible apology along with corrective measures,' he said at the rally. 'The so-called medical reform plan must be discussed again from the beginning. The administration that destroyed the medical system must take responsibility for doing so." The KMA said Sunday's demonstration was a direct protest against the Yoon government's health reform initiatives, including the recently formed special committee on health reform and the now-suspended medical student admissions quota hike. According to the KMA, around 25,000 people joined the protest, including 6,000 medical students. Medical students and young doctors also took the podium. Park Dan, vice president of the KMA and leader of the Korean Intern Resident Association's emergency response team, criticized the administration's refusal to acknowledge what he called 'policy failure and wasteful spending.' 'If the government truly cares about saving lives, it must resolve this crisis before its term ends,' Park said. 'It's the government that unilaterally made a decision and didn't follow the appropriate procedures," he added, demanding that the government actually listen to the voices of young doctors and students. The freeze on medical school enrollment for 2026 momentarily diffused tensions. However, the rally came in the wake of a new round of public criticism over what some see as the government giving in to the resistance of the medical elite. In a formal statement issued at the protest, the KMA declared, 'Health care policy cannot be advanced through unilateral decision-making that excludes the medical profession. The Yoon administration's so-called reforms, including the 'Essential Medical Policy Package,' must be scrapped immediately.' The association warned that the nation's medical system stands at the edge of collapse and urged the government to 'listen to the medical community in order to restore stability and normalcy.'
Korea Herald
13-02-2025
- Health
- Korea Herald
[Editorial] Improve safety in schools
Korea needs strong, preventive safety measures for both students and teachers Schools are supposed to be the safest place to be for both students and teachers. But the fatal stabbing of an 8-year-old student by a teacher has put that assumption in question in a way that has shocked, terrified and weighed heavily on people across the nation. Kim Ha-neul was stabbed to death by a teacher in her 40s at an elementary school in Daejeon on Monday. Police said the child died from multiple wounds from a sharp weapon, citing autopsy results from the National Forensic Service. According to police, the suspect said she has received treatment for depression since 2018. She was on six months of leave that began in early December due to her condition, but came back to work at the school after less than a month, sparking questions about her sudden return and doctor's changed view of her condition. The record of her medical disorder is now at the center of heated disputes, with questions swirling about why the school failed to take proper steps to prevent the tragic incident despite warning signs. The suspect had reportedly assaulted a colleague at the school just days before the stabbing, but education authorities did not take effective measures. As parents and students express fears and concerns about safety at school, the government on Wednesday announced it would seek to revise a law to place teachers with mental disorders on compulsory leave. Education Minister Lee Ju-ho said that the amendment, tentatively named the 'Ha-neul law' after the late student, would allow education authorities to consider ordering compulsory leave for school teachers having difficulty carrying out their duties due to mental disorders. The government's move came after both the ruling and opposition political parties called for the introduction of a law to ensure that such a tragic incident does not happen again. But there is also a voice that demands authorities identify the exact cause of the incident and expresses worries about misguided and negative overgeneralization concerning mental disorders. Critics argue that the Daejeon murder case highlights the need of consideration for the mental health of teachers. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service, the number of primary school teachers who sought medical treatment for depression or anxiety rose from 4,819 in 2020 to 9,468 in 2023 -- nearly doubling in just three years. A similar trend is evident for secondary schools, where the figure climbed from 4,449 to 7,335 over the same period. While multiple factors likely contribute to this worrisome trend, the grave implications for classroom safety are becoming ever more evident. Stress from interactions with parents, students and other external pressures appears to be exacerbating the problem. However, support programs remain inadequate. But it is dangerous to assume that teacher violence comes solely from depression. The Korean Medical Association issued a statement Thursday arguing that it is premature to make a conclusion on the causes of the incident and noted that multiple studies on individuals with depression have found no statistically significant difference in the rate of serious crimes compared to those without the condition. Overgeneralizing risks reinforcing stigmas surrounding mental illness. This is especially so in a nation where people tend to hide their mental illnesses for fear of being alienated and put at a disadvantage in the workplace. It would be wrong to assume that all teachers with depression have reached a dangerous threshold. However, when warning signs emerge as in the case of the Daejeon case, preventive measures must be taken without delay to avert potential tragedies. The loss of a young student's life -- particularly at the hands of a teacher, within the supposed safety of a school -- must not be allowed to recur.
