COVID-19 impacts MOHW pharmaceutical divisions’ personnel

Empty seat for Director of Pharmaceutical Benefits Division, Senior Deputy Director to CDSCH

MOHW to fill in manpower vacuum in late March

Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) fighting against COVID-19 outbreak at the forefront, is suffering from manpower vacuum as their directors and senior deputy directors in pharmaceutical affairs have been temporarily transferred.

 

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Division, in charge of pharmaceutical benefit listing, reimbursement standard and policies regarding pharmaceutical benefit enhancement initiatives, is experiencing difficulties in processing their work as the director position is vacant and newly appointed senior deputy director has been transferred to COVID-19 response team.

 

Also the Pharmaceutical Policy Division handling policies on pharmacy and pharmaceutical distribution is missing a director as the former director has been dispatched to overseas.

 

According to MOHW on Mar.

 

11, the human resource issues in both Pharmaceutical Benefits Division and Pharmaceutical Policy Division would last at least until end of this month.

 

Former Director of Pharmaceutical Benefits Division, Kwak Myeong-Seop (left) and Senior Deputy Director Lee Seon-joo

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Division is a key part of the ministry enhancing pharmaceutical coverage, accessibility, and pharmaceutical review, such as new drug and generic reimbursement listing, revising generic pricing system, and reducing price based on actual transaction price.

 

Including pharmaceutical coverage enhancement and expenditure structure reform (pricing reduction) based on the National Health Insurance Comprehensive Plan, all crucial parts related to pharmaceutical and bio industry are concentrated in the division.

 

As the Former Director of Pharmaceutical Benefits Division, Kwak Myeong-Seop has been dispatched to South Korea Consulate in Guangzhou, China, on Mar.

 

11, Director General Lee Ki-il of Health Insurance Policy has taken over the division’s work at the moment.

 

Moreover, the division is missing both director and senior director, as Senior Deputy Director Lee Seon-joo, has been temporarily transferred to COVID-19 response team immediately after the new appointment to the division was announced.

 

When the outbreak subsides, Senior Deputy Director Lee Seon-joo would come back to the division and take over the role of leading reimbursed drug pricing system revision and reforming generic listing, which would affect the industry significantly.

 

The Pharmaceutical Policy Division is also missing some key persons.

 

The division generally covers all pharmaceutical affairs directly affecting pharmacy industry, such as pharmaceutical and medical device company expenditure report, pharmaceutical distribution, pharmacy on-site inspection, credit card fee at pharmacies and OTC drugs.

 

The controversial issues about adding CSO as one of mandated subjects for filing expenditure report is also dealt by the division.

 

Director Yoon Byung-chul of Pharmaceutical Policy Division

Director Yoon Byung-chul of Pharmaceutical Policy Division has been dispatched to Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH) for COVID-19 in Osong as soon as the outbreaks started in Korea.

 

Director Yoon is an expert in pharmaceutical affairs with three years of experience in the division.

 

Technically he was supposed to be appointed to other division in past January, as he has served as the director of the division for the longest time in MOHW.

 

Similar to the former Director Kwak, Director Yoon was initially decided to be assigned to an overseas position, but his personnel change has been postponed for the government to better confront the infectious disease issue.

 

And the division is lacking sufficient manpower to tend practical affairs, because some assistant director positions are left open.

 

Regarding the issue, MOHW official explained the ministry has been doing its best to prevent further spread of COVID-19 by borrowing specialists from all divisions, so the manpower shortage is unavoidable.

 

However, the government plans to fill up the vacuum during the regular personnel season.

 

The official commented, “All positions would be filled when the regular personnel changes are executed.

 

The appointments would be unveiled from late March.”