Ministry of Health and Welfare Establishes New Training Program for Community Public Health Experts

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 4th that it will establish the 'Advanced Course for Training Community Public Health Experts' and begin lectures for 12 weeks starting from the 5th of this month.

This newly established course is designed for current and prospective public health center directors to understand government policies related to community public health and to support the development of standardized competencies for planning and operating projects tailored to local needs.

A total of 30 participants will join this advanced course, including 9 current public health center directors, 10 mid-level officials in the health and medical sector, 4 representatives from the Korean Medicine Doctors Association, and 7 officials from public health institutions.

The lecturers include 12 experts such as Kim Gang-rip, a special professor at Yonsei University and former Vice Minister of Health and Welfare; Yang Seong-il, a special professor at Korea University; Yoon Tae-ho, a professor at Pusan National University and former Public Health Policy Officer at the Ministry of Health and Welfare; and Park Hyang, a professor at Chosun University. The education will focus on public health values, factors influencing community health levels, emergency and crisis response, and communication.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare revised the 'Regional Health Act' in July last year to raise the appointment requirements for public health center directors from enforcement ordinances to laws, allowing experts such as dentists, Korean medicine doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, and public officials in health and medical fields to be appointed when it is difficult to hire physicians.