Quarantine Labor Shortage... Budget Cuts Every Year

17.5 Million Foreign Visitors Last Year
Budget for Workforce Expansion Cut Due to Opposition from the Opposition Party
Delayed Epidemiological Investigations Cause Response Difficulties

On the morning of the 31st of last month, quarantine officials at Seoul Gimpo International Airport completed the quarantine of Korean residents returning by flight from Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, where the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) occurred, and are leaving the airport. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] As confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) rapidly increase, quarantine authorities are also revealing chronic manpower shortages. Although the number of personnel somewhat increased after the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, it is pointed out that a backward perception that 'personnel are only needed when an incident occurs and unnecessary otherwise' is a major reason.

◆Repeated Budget Cuts Despite Appeals of "Quarantine Personnel Shortage" = The shortage of quarantine personnel, who are on the front lines preventing infectious diseases from entering the country from overseas, is due to the failure to timely increase manpower in line with the growing number of overseas arrivals. The number of foreigners visiting South Korea has steadily increased, reaching 17.5 million last year.

Considering that quarantine covers not only foreigners but also Korean nationals returning from abroad, the total annual number approaches 50 million. When Incheon Airport's Terminal 2 was preparing to open, the government requested an increase of 27 quarantine personnel in the supplementary budget because it was physically difficult to split the roughly 100 quarantine staff at Incheon Airport into two locations. However, this request was cut during the National Assembly review process due to opposition from the opposition party.

The following year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare submitted a proposal to increase 45 personnel citing difficulties in field quarantine, but only 20 were ultimately approved. Considering there are 13 quarantine stations nationwide including Incheon Airport, this amounts to fewer than two personnel per station. The opposition party argued that indiscriminate increases in public officials would burden the budget. Currently, the actual frontline quarantine staff at Incheon Airport is still fewer than 100.

Jeong Chun-sook, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, criticized, "The government has repeatedly requested an increase in quarantine personnel to prevent overseas infectious disease inflows and ensure public safety, but the National Assembly, representing the people, has rejected these requests." An employee at the National Incheon Airport Quarantine Station said, "Following criticisms of insufficient quarantine personnel during the MERS outbreak, about 20 were added, but the number has remained similar since then. Normally, existing personnel are sufficient, but shortages occur during holidays and peak periods."

On the morning of the 28th of last month, at the arrival hall of Terminal 1, Incheon International Airport, people arriving from Shanghai, China, were guided to submit health status questionnaires at the quarantine station. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency designated the entire territory of China as a quarantine target contaminated area in relation to the novel coronavirus and made quarantine and submission of health status questionnaires mandatory for all arrivals. / Yeongjongdo - Photo by Kim Hyunmin kimhyun81@

◆"More Patients Expected" Delayed Epidemiological Investigations = When a novel coronavirus case is confirmed, epidemiological investigation personnel who conduct field investigations and trace the patient's detailed movements are also insufficient. Currently, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) has 77 epidemiologists, and combined with 53 personnel at provincial levels (as of the end of January), the total is only 130. According to regulations, epidemiologists must be doctors or public officials who have undergone two years of training, but several local governments have not met these criteria.

When a confirmed case is identified, the KDCA immediately forms a rapid response team of 8 to 9 members, including epidemiologists and quarantine officers, to dispatch to the field, cross-checking patient statements with actual movements to take necessary measures. If cases emerge at a rate of about one per day in the early stages, response is possible, but when five cases are confirmed in a single day, as on January 31, available personnel are insufficient, causing delays in investigations. Jeong Eun-kyung, head of the KDCA, stated, "Although the number of epidemiologists has increased, when four teams operate simultaneously due to many cases, it becomes difficult to collect information on the field. We plan to efficiently conduct investigations by appropriately dividing roles between the Central Disease Control Headquarters and local governments."

There is also criticism that the perception that such personnel are only needed when an infectious disease outbreak occurs must change. Although it is difficult to predict novel infectious diseases like this incident, there is a need to consider how to monitor infection sources regionally or establish surveillance networks during normal times. Currently, the structure is overly centralized in the KDCA and other central agencies, presenting practical limitations.

Director Jeong said, "It is not just a problem of central or provincial governments; if each city, county, and district health center had epidemiologists conducting routine infection source tracking, it would enable more efficient responses during outbreaks. I believe it is essential to secure personnel specialized in epidemiological investigations."

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