NHIS Activates Emergency Response Team for Novel Coronavirus

Kim Yong-ik, President of the National Health Insurance Service (right in the photo), along with the staff, is holding an emergency response meeting regarding the novel coronavirus to discuss countermeasures.

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] The National Health Insurance Service announced on the 28th that it has decided to activate an emergency response team due to the increasing likelihood of domestic transmission of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia). Following the first meeting held the previous day, a second emergency meeting was held on the same day with the participation of regional headquarters directors on site to discuss comprehensive measures to be taken in the field.

The Service stated that it is cooperating with the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide lists of infected patients and their contacts. Since the 23rd, a system has been operating on the Service’s website under the Medical Institution Information Plaza that allows checking for overseas infectious disease patients among visitors to medical institutions. It enables monitoring of contacts of confirmed cases, fellow airline passengers, and entrants from affected regions.

Additionally, the Ilsan Hospital operated by the Service has been running a screening clinic and thermal imaging cameras since the 25th. Three foreigner civil service centers have been equipped with thermal imaging cameras for monitoring, and masks and hand sanitizers are being distributed to visitors at branches nationwide. Kim Yong-ik, the Director of the Service, said, "We have strengthened the cooperation system with the government, local governments, and related agencies to ensure the safety of citizens and foreigners on a field-centered basis at each branch nationwide," and urged, "Please make every effort to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus through a rapid response system according to the situation-specific response manual."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.