Korea, China, and Japan National Cancer Centers Share Experiences in Managing Cancer Patients with COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] The National Cancer Center announced on the 23rd that the national cancer centers of Korea, China, and Japan shared know-how on infection control and treatment status for cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic through a video conference.

According to the National Cancer Center, at the request of the Chinese side, the video conference on COVID-19 infection control among the national cancer centers of Korea, China, and Japan was held the previous afternoon, attended by the heads of the three national cancer centers and infection control medical staff.

During the meeting, each country shared their infection control status and practical experiences. Young-Joo Choi, Director of Infection Control at the National Cancer Center, introduced the national quarantine system and the Center’s response status, including ▲the domestic COVID-19 outbreak status ▲the overseas travel history inquiry system of domestic medical institutions ▲drive-through testing status ▲visitor COVID-19 testing process at the National Cancer Center ▲operation status of emergency and outpatient screening clinics ▲COVID-19 guidelines for cancer patients.

While Korea emphasized thorough infection control as the top priority measure to overcome the current situation, China mentioned telemedicine, and Japan referred to securing hospital beds.

He Jie, Director of the Chinese National Cancer Center, said, "Telemedicine has played a significant role in caring for cancer patients during the COVID-19 situation," adding, "Especially since COVID-19 can affect the mortality rate of elderly cancer patients, we mobilized all available systems and institutions."

Eun-Sook Lee, Director of the Korean National Cancer Center, stated, "Korea also temporarily utilized non-face-to-face medical care, and above all, made every effort to prevent hospital infections through thorough infection control," adding, "We will review the experiences of the three countries and make full preparations for infectious disease management that may occur again after COVID-19."

Hitoshi Nakagama, Director of the Japanese National Cancer Center, said, "As COVID-19 patients increased in Tokyo, we actively responded by preparing 25 dedicated hospital beds," and added, "We look forward to active cooperation among the national cancer centers of the three countries even after COVID-19."

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