Government to Disburse 158.5 Billion KRW in COVID-19 Compensation to Medical Institutions and Workplaces

Citizens are lining up to get tested for COVID-19 at the Gwangju Seo-gu Office screening clinic. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] The government will provide compensation amounting to approximately 150 billion KRW to medical institutions that treated COVID-19 patients and general businesses that implemented quarantine measures.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 30th that, based on the deliberation and resolution of the Loss Compensation Deliberation Committee, a total of 158.5 billion KRW in compensation will be paid on the 31st.

Since April last year, the government has been paying provisional compensation for the temporary losses incurred by medical institutions due to COVID-19. Provisional compensation refers to the estimated loss amount calculated before the final loss is confirmed.

Of the 14th provisional compensation payment, approximately 149 billion KRW will be paid to medical institutions. This includes compensation for losses related to hospital beds that were vacated under government and local government orders but could not be used for patient treatment, losses from operating screening clinics, and medical fee losses from supporting treatment at residential treatment centers.

Among this, 143.5 billion KRW will be paid to 159 medical institutions treating COVID-19 patients, including infectious disease-dedicated hospitals, and 5.5 billion KRW will be paid to 115 hospitals operating screening clinics.

A representative from the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters stated, "Of the provisional compensation paid to COVID-19 treatment medical institutions, 133.5 billion KRW, or about 93%, is compensation for securing treatment beds," emphasizing, "We are doing our best to maintain the medical response system, including establishing a stable treatment environment."

A total of 9.5 billion KRW in compensation will also be paid to 4,335 locations, including medical institutions, pharmacies, general businesses, and social welfare facilities that complied with closure, business suspension, or disinfection orders issued by the government or local governments during the quarantine response process.

Among 3,485 general businesses, 2,852 locations, accounting for 81.8%, will receive 100,000 KRW each through a simplified procedure that allows for quick compensation without separately submitting proof of loss.

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