Gyeonggi-do Public Health Medical Support Group "Need to Establish 'Infectious Disease Response Center' to Strengthen Infectious Disease Capabilities"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jin-ho Kim] A proposal has been raised to establish an 'Infectious Disease Response Center (tentative name)' at public health centers to strengthen community infectious disease response capabilities. It has been pointed out that the functions and roles of public health centers need to be reorganized to address the side effects such as the excessive workload poured into public health centers during the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years.

The Gyeonggi-do Public Health Medical Support Group recently asserted this in a research report titled 'Policy Proposal to Strengthen Community Infectious Disease Response Capabilities.' The core of the proposal is to establish an 'Infectious Disease Response Center' at the division level within public health centers to enhance community infectious disease response capabilities.

The research team of the Gyeonggi-do Public Health Medical Support Group analyzed that the 'Infectious Disease Response Center' can secure 'expertise' and 'organizational stability' necessary to strengthen community infectious disease response capabilities. The direction for organizational restructuring was set with core values including ▲ expertise of infectious disease response organizations and personnel ▲ efficiency of infectious disease response systems ▲ future-oriented capacity to respond to new infectious diseases.

Additionally, through analysis of the standard work classification system of public health centers and advisory meetings with experts and public health center directors, the research team proposed a specific organizational restructuring plan for public health centers. This includes establishing an Infectious Disease Response Center (tentative name) at the division level within public health centers, under which six teams would be organized: ▲ Infectious Disease General Team (overall management) ▲ Infectious Disease Prevention Team (vaccination and disinfection) ▲ Infectious Disease Control Team ▲ Infectious Disease Response Team (operation of surveillance system and epidemiological investigation) ▲ Infectious Disease Clinic (respiratory clinic during crises) ▲ COVID-19 Patient Management Team (support for home treatment, emergency patient management, bed allocation).

It is argued that establishing the Infectious Disease Response Center at public health centers, the only organization that can serve as the control tower for community infectious disease response, will secure the completeness of the response system among central, provincial, and municipal governments.

Furthermore, the research team calculated the necessary personnel according to the organizational restructuring of infectious disease response and proposed appropriate personnel per team per 100,000 population. It was pointed out that the top priority is to secure the public health center’s own personnel through recommendations and cooperation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to strengthen community infectious disease response capabilities.

The research team emphasized, "We must review the limitations of community infectious disease response capabilities experienced during COVID-19 and establish mid- to long-term measures for future infectious disease response, including preparation for the resurgence of COVID-19 this fall and winter. The establishment and operation of an infectious disease response organization at the division level within public health centers is essential."

Meanwhile, the '110 National Tasks of the Yoon Seok-yeol Government' announced on the 3rd also emphasized 'advancing the quarantine system to prepare for new pandemics' as a task to enhance the infectious disease response system. The research team explained, "While building a system suited to local conditions, it will be necessary to continuously discuss and coordinate to ensure that policy directions connecting central, provincial, and municipal governments are consistently applied."