Prime Minister Jeong at the 3rd Thursday Dialogue... "We Must Take the Quarantine and Health System to the Next Level"

Collecting Opinions for Responding to the Normalized Quarantine Era After COVID-19

Prime Minister Jeong Sye-kyun

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun held the 3rd Thursday Dialogue on the afternoon of the 14th at the Seoul official residence with experts in the fields of quarantine and healthcare, the Prime Minister's Office announced.

This Thursday Dialogue, themed "Preparing for a New Normal After COVID-19," is the third in a series of six relay meetings. Following the first two general discussions, this session was arranged to exchange opinions with experts in the quarantine and healthcare sectors.

Attendees included Professor Ki Moran of the National Cancer Center's Cancer Management Department, Professor Kim Yoon of Seoul National University's Medical Management Department, Lee Wang-jun, Chairman of Myongji Medical Foundation, Professor Kwon Soon-man of Seoul National University Graduate School of Public Health, CEO Ahn Jae-yong of SK Bioscience, Chairman Song Seung-jae of the Korea Digital Health Industry Association, Director Lee Young-moon of the National Mental Health Center, Professor Kwon Ki-tae of Chilgok Kyungpook National University Hospital's Infectious Diseases Department, Head Nurse Maeng Soon-joo of the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, as well as Sung Kyung-ryung, Chairman of the Economic and Social Research Council, Cho Heung-sik, President of the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, Assemblyman Park Yong-jin, and Minister Park Neung-hoo of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Prime Minister Chung said, "Through the past two Thursday Dialogues, we confirmed once again that to turn the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity, not only a 'shift in perspective' but a 'shift in the center' of existence itself is necessary," adding, "To live in an 'everyday quarantine era' where quarantine and daily life coexist, bold shifts in healthcare policies are also required."

He emphasized, "In particular, alongside expanding non-face-to-face medical treatment for infectious disease prevention and response and strengthening the public healthcare system, the medical bio-industry sector should also apply ICT and Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies to foster smart and non-face-to-face industries, making this an opportunity to elevate the quarantine and healthcare system to the next level."

Prime Minister Chung also stated, "Our country has become a global model for successful quarantine after COVID-19, providing an opportunity to secure international leadership," and added, "During a call with Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, connected through the first Thursday Dialogue, Deputy Prime Minister Freeland highly praised Korea's quarantine model and expressed hope for active cooperation with our country in future COVID-19 responses."

The dialogue began with a presentation titled "Domestic and International COVID-19 Quarantine Systems and Methods" by Professor Ki Moran, who serves as Chair of the Korean Society for Preventive Medicine's COVID-19 Countermeasures Committee and is a member of the Living Quarantine Committee.

Professor Ki stated, "Due to the transmissibility and characteristics of COVID-19, unlike typical infectious diseases, it is a long-term battle," and stressed, "We need to start self-testing, introduce a QR code system for managing crowded facilities, and begin influenza vaccinations for vulnerable groups."

Following this, Professor Kwon Soon-man presented on "Post-COVID-19 and Healthcare," proposing sustainable infectious disease response measures including ▲ institutional support such as paid sick leave, sickness benefits, and telecommuting as conditions for implementing social distancing ▲ decision-making through participation and public discourse involving experts and the general public ▲ legal and institutional arrangements to protect vulnerable groups, strengthen the public healthcare system, and expand non-face-to-face medical treatment.

The meeting also included Professor Kwon Ki-tae of Chilgok Kyungpook National University Hospital, who pioneered the drive-through screening clinic, and Head Nurse (Lieutenant Colonel) Maeng Soon-joo of the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, who was dispatched as head nurse during the Daegu cluster outbreak and directly managed COVID-19 patient wards, sharing their field experiences.

The Thursday Dialogue was broadcast live from the beginning to the presentations via the Prime Minister's Office Facebook and KTV (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Naver TV), and was also rebroadcast on KTV.

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