"Special Employment Workers Undergo Annual Health Checkups"…Announcement of the 3rd Comprehensive Health Checkup Plan

Review of Improvements in Screening Items by Life Cycle
Introduction of Eye Disease and Hearing Loss Tests for Infants and Young Children
Lung Function and Fundus Examinations Added to Adult Screening Items

Annual Health Checkups for Special Workers like Delivery Drivers
On-site Examinations for Nursing Facility Residents and Others

Major Contents of the 3rd National Health Screening Comprehensive Plan (Data = Ministry of Health and Welfare)

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ji-hee] The government is planning to introduce pulmonary function tests and fundus examinations into adult health checkup items and improve the appropriate interval for mental health examinations, which are currently conducted once every 10 years. At the same time, it will revise screening items according to the life cycle from infants to the elderly and introduce health examinations by occupation for special types of workers.

Through this, the government aims to enhance the convenience and accessibility of the national health screening and improve the utilization of screening results. The plan is to increase the proportion of confirmatory tests for suspected diseases from 8% last year to 35% by 2025, and nearly double the number of users of health screening result information from 9.38 million to 16.5 million during the same period.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the "3rd Comprehensive National Health Screening Plan (2021?2025)" containing these details at the 10th Social Relations Ministers' Meeting on the 9th. At this meeting, related ministries including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Employment and Labor, and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family agreed to strengthen inter-ministerial cooperation over the next five years to enhance the reliability of health screenings and the utilization of screening results. The four main strategies of the 3rd Comprehensive Plan are ▲Improving accessibility ▲Enhancing reliability ▲Increasing utilization of screening results ▲Streamlining management systems.

First, the government plans to identify and improve barriers that hinder vulnerable groups from undergoing health screenings through a survey on screening behaviors of examinees. For examinees who have difficulty visiting medical institutions, such as residents of nursing facilities, the government will improve the standards for on-site screening to eliminate blind spots in screening. Furthermore, a pilot project for mailing colorectal cancer screening specimens for residents in remote island and mountainous areas will be promoted. In addition, a pilot project to support out-of-pocket expenses when visiting medical institutions for consultation on screening results (tentatively called the National Health Screening Explanation Doctor System) will also be considered.

Screening items will also be revised considering health impact factors by life cycle. First, for infants and young children, the validity analysis and introduction plan for ophthalmologic diseases such as refractive tests and strabismus, as well as hearing loss-related tests, will be reviewed. Given that suicide is the leading cause of death among people in their 20s and considering the mental health risks of young adults, the appropriate interval for mental health examinations, currently conducted once every 10 years, will be improved. For adults, in response to the recent worsening fine dust problem, the introduction of pulmonary function tests and fundus examinations to alleviate the medical burden of chronic ophthalmologic diseases will be reviewed as part of the health screening items. For seniors aged 65 and over, differences in screening items based on health insurance eligibility will be eliminated. The plan also includes integrating local government health examination projects conducted for medical aid beneficiaries into the national health screening.

According to the 3rd Comprehensive Plan, special types of workers such as delivery drivers will also be included in the target group for worker health examinations and will be able to receive health checkups annually. Health examinations by occupation will be conducted with appropriate screening items suited to working conditions.

Policy Effects by Demand Group (Source: Ministry of Health and Welfare)

The government also plans to diversify the use of screening information, including discovering medically underserved groups and linking welfare services. For example, individuals showing signs of depression from mental health examination results will be connected early to counseling and treatment through approximately 244 mental health welfare centers nationwide (as of the end of last year). A system will also be established to share cognitive function decline test results with dementia relief centers for early detection of high-risk groups for dementia.

Support for personalized health management will be provided for infants’ nutrition and development, as well as adults’ hypertension and diabetes. The support for detailed examination costs for developmental disabilities based on infant developmental screening results will continue to expand from the current lower 50% of health insurance premium payers (targeting 18,000 people). For adults, the number of institutions participating in the chronic disease management pilot project will be expanded, and the target diseases will be extended to include asthma and atopic dermatitis.

By establishing a health screening MyData system (personal-led health information utilization support), conditions will be created to enable self-health management using personal health information. In particular, by utilizing big data such as screening results, the health information service of the "The Health Insurance" app will be diversified, and plans will be promoted to provide personalized health information using infant health screening big data and artificial intelligence technology. The app will provide more convenient access to local health information, including guidance on screening institutions and notifications for screening appointment information.

The management foundation of the national health screening will also be strengthened. To enhance collaboration among related ministries, a secretariat under the Ministry of Health and Welfare will be established to oversee and coordinate the operation of the National Health Screening Committee, and the participating institutions of the committee will be expanded to include all ministries responsible for national health screening. A public opinion collection channel will also be established to allow policy stakeholders to directly provide feedback during the operation of the health screening system.

Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol stated, "Through the 3rd Comprehensive Plan, we will strive to further develop the national health screening into a trusted guide for public health. We hope that the national health screening will be practically utilized for early disease detection and preventive health management, contributing to the health promotion of all citizens."

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