[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] The United Future Party has proposed the establishment of a 'Ministry of Public Health' to defend against infectious diseases such as the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis.
Kim Jong-in, the chief election campaign committee chairman of the central election campaign committee, announced this while supporting a candidate in Cheongju, Chungbuk. He said, "We need to create an administrative system that efficiently allocates and manages resources involved in the link between quarantine, diagnostic testing, and treatment," adding, "The Ministry of Public Health should be granted full authority to allocate national quarantine and medical resources without interference from anyone. The responsibility should be entrusted to the world's top epidemiology experts."
He continued, "Taiwan's COVID-19 measures became a true model case because the top epidemiology experts were in charge of the Ministry of Public Health."
He also proposed the operation of a 'National Quarantine Committee' at the pan-government level. Chairman Kim said, "Pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and medical equipment should be treated as security resources, unlike general consumer goods," and added, "Medical supplies essential to protecting the lives of the people, such as infusion solutions, blood products, and life-support devices for critically ill patients, should be mandated to be stocked in quantities sufficient for at least two weeks by region nationwide."
Chairman Kim also stated, "The ultimate weapon in the war against viruses is ultimately the vaccine. In the future, the top position in the global economy will be occupied by the country that produces good vaccines in a timely manner," and said, "The Osong Bio Complex will become a driving force for the Korean economy. Various medical device industries and medical service industries will also be proposed to receive large-scale support as part of the national industrial strategy."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
