Ministry of Health and Welfare Expands Integrated Care Departments and Establishes Pharmaceutical and Bioindustry Division

Temporary Integrated Support Team Upgraded to Director-General for Integrated Care Support
Ambitious Goal to Become a Global Powerhouse in Pharmaceuticals and Biohealth

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has established dedicated new departments ahead of the nationwide implementation of integrated care in March next year. With the goal of becoming a global powerhouse in the pharmaceutical and biohealth sectors, the ministry has created a new Pharmaceutical and Bioindustry Division, and also set up a Disaster Medical Policy Division to serve as a control tower for the healthcare sector in the event of a national disaster.

According to the ministry on December 30, in line with the enforcement of the “Act on Integrated Support for Regional Care Including Medical and Nursing Services” (Integrated Care Support Act) on March 27 next year, a director-level “Integrated Care Support Officer” has been appointed to oversee regional integrated care policies, along with the establishment of the “Integrated Care Policy Division” and the “Integrated Care Project Division.”

Integrated care is a system that provides a combination of welfare, healthcare, and nursing services to elderly people, people with disabilities, and others who face difficulties in daily life, enabling them to continue living healthily in their own homes. Recipients of integrated care can access services such as home visits by doctors, home nursing, visiting care and bathing, meal and mobility support, and more, according to individualized plans established by their local city, county, or district.

Since 2018, the ministry has operated a temporary internal organization to design and pilot the integrated care system. After the enactment of the Integrated Care Support Act in March last year, the temporary organization was expanded and reorganized into the “Medical-Nursing Integrated Care Promotion Headquarters” to implement follow-up measures and prepare for the launch of the new system in accordance with the law.

With the formalization of the previously temporary organization into a bureau-level department, the ministry now plans to systematically support the nationwide rollout of the main integrated care program and to continuously expand both the number of eligible recipients and the range of home-based services, thereby strengthening the professionalism and execution of the system.

The ministry has also established a new Pharmaceutical and Bioindustry Division to realize the vision of becoming a global leader in the pharmaceutical and biohealth sectors. The existing Health Industry Promotion Division, which has been responsible for fostering the pharmaceutical, medical device, and cosmetics industries, will be split and expanded into the Pharmaceutical and Bioindustry Division, which will focus exclusively on pharmaceuticals, and the Medical Device and Cosmetics Industry Division, which will cover medical devices and cosmetics.

A new Disaster Medical Policy Division has also been created to serve as a control tower for the healthcare sector during national disasters. This move is aimed at strengthening the government’s responsibility for disaster response, in line with the national policy of prioritizing the safety and lives of citizens. The Disaster Medical Policy Division, which has previously operated as an autonomous body for up to one year, has now been formalized as a permanent department.

Through this organizational restructuring, the ministry has established one new bureau and four new divisions, increasing its staff by 39. This is the largest reorganization since the creation of the second vice minister position in February 2020.

Minister of Health and Welfare Chung Eun-kyung stated, “This organizational restructuring is significant in that it strengthens the foundation needed to faithfully implement the core health and welfare policy tasks of the new government. We will continue to secure the necessary workforce to actively respond to growing demands for regional, essential, and public healthcare, as well as the increasing workload associated with national policy tasks.”