KDCA, Infectious Disease Specialist Hospitals, and Local Governments Discuss Establishing Medical Response System

Quarterly Council Held to Prepare for Emerging Infectious Diseases in Q2

The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), together with local governments and infectious disease specialist hospitals, discussed key tasks such as establishing a medical response system to prepare for new infectious disease crisis situations.

On June 24, the KDCA announced that it held the "2025 Q2 Interagency Council for Medical Response to Emerging Infectious Diseases" at the Nine Tree Premier Rokauss Hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. During the meeting, participants shared the current status, plans, and implementation strategies for establishing a medical response system centered on regional infectious disease specialist hospitals.

This council has been held quarterly since 2023 to share policy and project information among medical response agencies and to strengthen cooperation in preparation for new infectious disease crises. Participants include officials from the KDCA, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, central government agencies, local governments, and central and regional infectious disease specialist hospitals.

At the meeting, each regional infectious disease specialist hospital, including those in the Seoul metropolitan area, presented the current status and plans for their respective projects to establish medical response systems tailored to their specific characteristics.

In the Seoul metropolitan area, guidelines are being developed on how to respond within the region in the event of a crisis. In the Chungcheong region, the focus is on advancing infectious disease simulation training scenarios. The Honam region is developing operation manuals for infectious disease specialist hospitals for both normal and crisis situations. The Gyeongbuk region is conducting research to analyze the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria.

Ji Youngmi, Commissioner of the KDCA, said, "I hope this council will serve as an opportunity to further concretize the foundation of the medical response system and enhance its effectiveness." She added, "I ask for the active participation of each institution so that not only the infrastructure for infectious disease specialist hospitals, but also operational strategies and region-specific response plans, can be effectively implemented on the ground."