Preparing for Future Emerging Infectious Diseases with Regional Medical Systems... KCDC Pilot Project

Designation of 5 Regional Infectious Disease Specialized Hospitals

On the 19th, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) announced that it will conduct a pilot project to establish a 'Regional Comprehensive New Infectious Disease Medical Response System,' centered on regional infectious disease specialized hospitals, with participation from the KDCA and each city and province.

Currently, five regional infectious disease specialized hospitals are designated and under construction procedures: Bundang Seoul National University Hospital (Capital area), Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital (Chungcheong area), Chosun University Hospital (Honam area), Chilgok Kyungpook National University Hospital (Gyeongbuk area), and Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital (Gyeongnam area). These institutions will play a key role in regional infectious disease response, including diagnosis, treatment, and testing of new infectious disease patients; education and training of specialized personnel in public and private medical institutions within the region; and hospital assignment and transfer coordination according to patient severity.

Exterior view of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. [Photo by Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency]

This pilot project was prepared based on the experience of responding to COVID-19 over the past three years. It recognizes the limitations of a centrally led medical response in future new infectious disease crisis situations and aims to establish a rapid and efficient regional medical response system by jointly utilizing capacities such as beds and medical personnel while preventing medical service gaps caused by administrative district boundaries.

The main project contents include ▲surveying the status of infectious disease response personnel and equipment within the region ▲securing, distributing, and adjusting bed resources ▲operating patient referral and transfer systems ▲planning on-site practical training for infectious disease response medical personnel, and establishing a new infectious disease medical response plan. A joint response situation room will be operated for patient referral and return according to various new infectious disease outbreak scenarios, and roles of each institution by situation will be checked through simulation training.

In particular, projects tailored to the characteristics of each region will be planned, and key tasks for advancing the new infectious disease medical response plan will be selected and promoted. Ji Young-mi, Commissioner of the KDCA, stated, "We have realized the necessity of advancing the new infectious disease medical response system at the regional level to prevent excess deaths caused by infectious diseases and to efficiently utilize infectious disease response resources." She added, "Based on the results of this pilot project, we plan to expand it further next year."