[2022 National Audit] "Online Drug Transactions Rapidly Increasing" ... Criticism of MFDS Management and Supervision Gaps

O Yu-kyung, Director of MFDS, "Need to Link Doctor's Resident ID, License Number with Narcotics Control System"

On the 7th, Oh Yu-kyung, Commissioner of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, is responding to a lawmaker's question during the National Assembly inspection of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety held at the Health and Welfare Committee in Yeouido, Seoul. 2022.10.7 Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group [Image source=Yonhap News]

As drug addiction emerges as a serious social issue, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's role in drug management and supervision has come under scrutiny during the National Assembly audit.

On the 7th, at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's audit by the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee, Director Oh Yu-kyung responded to questions from committee members about recent characteristics of drug crimes, stating, "They are prevalent among youth, relapse rates are increasing, and online shopping platforms like Telegram are on the rise."

Lawmakers emphasized the need for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's role as access to narcotics, including online sales, has become easier.

Jeon Hye-sook, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out that the number of drug transactions using virtual assets on the dark web increased from 82 cases in 2019 to 832 cases in 2021, but the Ministry's measures such as blocking access to these sites have not been very effective. She said, "Until now, the Ministry has never met with overseas platforms to eradicate illegal transactions, nor requested keyword filtering," and stressed the need to improve the environment where investigations are realistically difficult to initiate.

Jeon also revealed chat conversations that continued up to the point of purchasing drugs by approaching illegal sellers through the internet. She showed dozens of bags of psychotropic drugs received from cancer patients, noting that although there are regulations for disposing of medical narcotics at home, proper disposal is not actually carried out.

In response, Director Oh said, "We are conducting a pilot project for drug disposal with the Korean Pharmaceutical Association," and added, "We will strive to collect more."

Choi Jong-yoon, a Democratic Party member, introduced a case where posting drug-related content and a high school girl's profile on social media led to contact within hours, highlighting that appetite suppressant narcotics are also used in prostitution. He pointed out that despite prescription standards for appetite suppressants, a type of medical narcotics, they are not well followed, and there have even been cases where one person received a 10-year supply. He urged the Ministry to manage and supervise these in real time.

Choi said, "The Narcotics Integrated Management System is not real-time and submits data once a month, whereas the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) provides real-time payment upon prescription," and called for integration with the HIRA system for management.

Director Oh responded, "Since August, we have been in discussions with HIRA to link the Narcotics Integrated Management System with HIRA's Drug Utilization Review (DUR) service."

Concerns were also raised about doctors prescribing narcotic drugs to themselves, known as 'self-prescription.' According to data received by Choi Yeon-sook, a member of the People Power Party, from the Ministry, from May 2018 to June 2022, about 105,000 cases were reported in the Narcotics Integrated Management System where the prescribing doctor's and patient's names and birth years were identical.

Choi pointed out, "In the suspected self-prescription data, patient information in the Narcotics Integrated Management System includes patient name and resident registration number, but doctor information only includes doctor name and license information, so it is impossible to determine if they are homonyms," adding, "Although the Ministry could request resident registration data under the Narcotics Control Act to identify homonyms, it has never done so."

Jo Myung-hee, a People Power Party member, emphasized the need for effective regulations, stating, "Thirty-two occupational groups, including teachers and aircraft pilots, are required to undergo regular drug tests, but there is no systematic testing system or guidelines."

Director Oh replied, "It is necessary to collaborate with the Ministry of Health and Welfare to link doctors' resident registration numbers and license numbers to the Narcotics Integrated Management System," and added, "We will also consider standardizing addiction testing methods."