[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Chunhee] The Health and Medical Technology Policy Deliberation Committee (HMT Policy Committee), which deliberates and coordinates important matters related to the promotion of health and medical technology, will be elevated to an inter-ministerial committee involving the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 27th that the partial amendment of the Enforcement Decree of the "Health and Medical Technology Promotion Act," which includes this content, was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the same day.
This amendment to the enforcement decree includes upgrading the HMT Policy Committee, which is the deliberation and coordination body for important matters related to health and medical technology research and development (R&D) projects, to a committee composed of five ministries: the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The committee will establish an inter-ministerial R&D roadmap and build an organic cooperative system among related agencies.
Accordingly, the chairperson of the HMT Policy Committee will be elevated from the previous single private-sector chair system to a co-chair system with the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The number of committee members will also increase from 20 to 25. Consequently, the number of private-sector members is expected to rise from 17 to 19.
Additionally, the participating ministries, which were previously the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, and Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, will expand to five ministries including the Ministry of Science and ICT and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. These five agencies are recognized as major policy and regulatory bodies related to health and medical R&D. The Ministry of Health and Welfare is responsible for applied and clinical fields, the Ministry of Science and ICT for basic and foundational research, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy for development and industrialization, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for approval and regulatory science, and the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency for infectious diseases. The combined budget managed by these agencies accounts for approximately 81% of the government's total health and medical R&D budget.
To facilitate integrated research planning and management among related agencies, the "Integrated and Coordinated Management of Health and Medical Technology R&D Projects" has been added as a deliberation item for the HMT Policy Committee.
The amendment to the enforcement decree is scheduled to take effect next month, and the appointment process to newly form the HMT Policy Committee members reflecting the amendment is currently underway.
Jung Yoonsoon, Director of Advanced Medical Support at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "As seen in the recent development of COVID-19 vaccines, groundbreaking technological advancements in the health and medical field are only possible when related ministries collaborate. With this amendment elevating the HMT Policy Committee to an inter-ministerial committee and expanding public-private participation, we expect strengthened government-wide technology development and cooperation, which will lead to increased tangible benefits for the public."
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