Government to Strengthen Propofol Management in Animal Hospitals... Joint Inspections for High-Prescribing Facilities

Joint Inspections by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Until May 29

Stricter Verification of 'Animal Owner' Information When Administering Narcotics in Animal Hospitals

Expanded Safety Management Training on Narcotics for Veterinarians

The government has decided to strengthen the verification of animal owners' information and enhance education for veterinarians when administering narcotics in animal hospitals. The goal is to reinforce the management of medical narcotics in animal hospitals and prevent misuse and abuse.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on April 27 that, following recent incidents such as the "illegal diversion of propofol by an animal hospital director," they are conducting joint inspections of animal hospitals handling propofol until May 29. The authorities also plan to expand the reinforcement of narcotics management within animal hospitals and increase safety management training for veterinarians.

A patient receiving an injection of the hypnotic anesthetic propofol. YouTube screen capture

An official from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs stated, "This enhanced management plan aims to increase transparency in full-cycle tracking as the amount of medical narcotics handled in animal hospitals has risen by 9% compared to the same period last year, and to strengthen veterinarians' sense of responsibility as the prescribers of narcotics. It has been introduced to proactively eliminate health hazards through the prevention of narcotics abuse and misuse."

Currently, there is no obligation in animal hospitals to verify the information of the animal owner or manager after administering medical narcotics to animals, leading to concerns about false treatments and illegal diversion.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs plans to push for revisions to the Veterinarian Act to establish a legal basis for collecting treatment information, such as the animal owner's personal information (resident registration number), when administering medical narcotics in animal hospitals. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is also working to amend the Narcotics Control Act so that veterinarians, as medical professionals handling narcotics, must report collected information to the Narcotics Information Management System, enabling more thorough tracking and management.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is analyzing big data from the Narcotics Information Management System, including the average prescription volume of propofol, and is conducting inspections, together with local governments, of 50 selected animal hospitals until May 29 to verify the proper handling and storage of narcotics. If any violations of the Narcotics Control Act are found during these inspections, administrative actions and other measures will be taken against the offending animal hospitals.

On April 22, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety officially requested the Korean Veterinary Medical Association to ensure the proper handling, usage, and safety management of medical narcotics such as propofol, and to thoroughly supervise and guide employees.

Going forward, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will continue to maintain a close cooperative system to ensure that medical narcotics are used safely in veterinary practices, and will also pursue institutional improvements that consider field applicability.

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