- Date2020-10-26
HIRA successfully finishes International Symposium for Responding COVID-19 over Long Term Period
- First step for international cooperation to improve healthcare system in New Normal Era -
□ Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (President Sunmin Kim, hereinafter “HIRA”) successfully held international symposium,
which was the first schedule of ‘2020 HIRA International Online symposium and Training Course’ under the theme of COVID-19
Pandemic, Balancing a ’New Normal’ by Enhancing Healthcare System in Monday, October 26th.
○ The symposium is for global society’s joint response to COVID-19 pandemic crisis and eminent international organization experts such as World Health Organization (WHO) and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and 12 healthcare related officials from individual countries participated the symposium as speakers.
□ As HIRA’s annual event, International Symposium and training course are individually held in the first and second half of the year but this year combines two events due to spread of COVID-19 in the latter half of the year.
○ Starting with opening remarks by President of HIRA, Dr. Sunmin Kim, the symposium was followed by congratulatory remarks delivered by Chairman Minseok Kim from Health and Welfare Committee, lawmaker Jeongsuk Seo from People Power Party of Korea, lawmaker Jongyoon Choi from Democratic Party of Korea and vice minister Dotae Kang from Ministry of Health and Welfare.
□ 3 keynote speakers insisted the importance of UHC to receive quality healthcare service without financial burden to fight against COVID-19.
The 1st speaker, Prof. Kwon stated establishing governance based on transparency
is critical to respond COVID-19. Also, efforts to set preventive measures for
vulnerable population and privacy issues in the contact tracing are required to be
solved.
○ Followed by Prof. Kwon, Dr. Edward Kelley advised continuity access and quality of essential healthcare services even under the pandemic crisis.
As the last speaker, Dr. Klazinga suggested provision of aggressive primary
healthcare service is necessary to be delivered in COVID-19 crisis and
improvement of data infrastructure to support decision making during and beyond
the pandemic
○ After the speeches, Dr. Jinyoung Lee of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Research Institute presented HIRA’s role and function for improved healthcare system after COVID-19 crisis and spokesman Mr. Youngrae Son from the Ministry of Health and Welfare delivered presentation about Korea’s transparent and prompt responses strategy of COVID-19.
□ Director General Moosung Kim kicked off the afternoon session with presentation titled ‘What HIRA did for COVID-19’, and then healthcare experts from Germany, England, Denmark and Australia presented each country’s response.
○ On-line participants showed huge interests and shared various opinions about COVID-19 responses and lessons through the real-time comment.
□ Followed by symposium, HIRA Training course will be continued for 2 days from
Oct 27th to 28th.
○ On the morning of 27th , Korea & ASEAN session focusing on ‘Efforts to respond COVID-19 and achieve UHC in ASEAN Countries’ is scheduled and it consists of presentations from Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative to Vietnam, Dr. Somil Nagpal, Senior Health Specialist in World Bank, and Dr. Kamiar Khajavi, Senior Director of JLN.
□ “I hope 2020 international symposium and training course would be a venue for considering global society’s COVID-19 response strategy,” President Kim said. “And we, HIRA, are going to capitalize on the crisis and changes in public healthcare brought about by COVID-19 and redefine the direction of healthcare system to go forward.”
