- Date2022-02-09
HIRA holds ceremony to celebrate designation as
WHO collaborating centre
- Will be expanding international cooperation projects in recognition of expertise in strategic purchasing -
□ On February 8, the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA; executive director: Sun Min Kim) held a ceremony at its Wonju headquarters to celebrate its designation as a collaborating centre of the World Health Organization (WHO).
□ The designation, which was done in recognition of HIRA’s expertise in strategic purchasing operations, was finalized in December 2021.
○ Going forward, HIRA will be engaging in international cooperation-related programs to help achieve the WHO’s goal of universal health coverage (UHC).
○ Key areas of cooperation will include: 1) co-hosting educational programs on strategic purchasing and 2) providing funding for resources, experts, and activities related to UHC.
WHO collaborating centre ㅇ A WHO collaborating centre is an international cooperation agency designated by the WHO from a candidate pool of prominent institutions in various relevant fields to carry out projects on international healthcare. Currently, there are approximately 800 WHO collaborating centres in operation in 80 countries. ㅇ They will be linked with major relevant institutions worldwide to form a global network that can be used to secure funding for international agenda items in the area of healthcare.
What is strategic purchasing? ㅇ It is a strategic activity that aims to use a restricted/finite range of financial resources to provide healthcare services that are needed by citizens. - Includes: establishing the scope of benefit/benefit standards, designating providers (e.g. tertiary hospitals), operating/designing of healthcare provider payment methods, claims review, and quality assessment ※ HIRA and the National Health Insurance Service are consigned by the Korean government to carry out most major purchasing activities related to healthcare services.
○ First, HIRA is focusing its energies on multi-party collaborations with international bodies, such as the WHO and OECD.
- As Korea’s primary organization responsible for managing the quality of healthcare, HIRA has been working with the WHO―at the request of the latter―since 2015. Its efforts include active participation in discussions by healthcare experts from multiple countries, such as the OECD HCQO (Working Party on Health Care Quality and Outcome).
- Based on this collaborative network, HIRA annually hosts international symposiums and training courses, the results of which are shared with the international community to raise awareness of current issues and how they are being addressed.
○ Second, HIRA provides, by request, individually-tailored consultations for countries to help them improve their health systems.
- Thus far, HIRA has worked with numerous countries around the world, including countries of ASEAN (e.g. Indonesia and Cambodia), Central/South America (e.g. Peru and Colombia), and Africa (e.g. Ghana, Ethiopia).
- It also provided a consultation for Mexico in 2021 and is scheduled to provide one for Ecuador in 2022.
○ Third, HIRA has begun expanding its work overseas based on its advanced ICT system.
- The Bahrain SEHATI-IT Project (KRW 32 billion contract) is not only an outcome of HIRA’s country-specific collaborations but also the world’s first instance of the export of a health insurance operation system.
- The success of the Bahrain project proved the outstanding quality of HIRA’s ICT system, based on which HIRA is currently actively involved in the Korean government’s strategic projects with ASEAN countries in the area of healthcare.
□ In her opening remarks, HIRA Executive Director Sun Min Kim said, “HIRA’s designation as a collaborating centre is the outcome of our consistent efforts to work together with the international community. We will continue to collaborate with domestic and foreign healthcare institutions as well as broaden the scope of our role at international academic conferences and within international bodies.”
