A month ago, when President Moon Jae-in declared’free corona 19 vaccination for the whole country’ through a New Year’s address, the public health authorities’ position was changed one morning. If the health authorities give free vaccinations to citizens in accordance with the presidential order, it is expected that additional financial resources of 2-3 trillion won will be required.
On the 11th, according to health authorities such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, on the 8th of last month, Minister of Health and Welfare Park Neung-hoo, who was the first deputy head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said, “The cost of the vaccine (drug value) For the first time, the government plans to distribute it free of charge,” he said. “The government will pay for the essential manpower vaccination fee, and other than that, we will (self) bear the cost.”
Usually, vaccine medical expenses, including the Corona 19 vaccine, literally consist of vaccine drug prices and medical expenses. As for the vaccine price, it is basically free as long as it was purchased with tax. Former Minister Park Neung-hoo said he was planning to provide the full amount of vaccination fees for essential personnel such as those who are recommended for preferential vaccination such as the elderly, as well as workers in medical institutions. However, on the contrary, this meant that the general public who was not subject to the first vaccination had to pay the vaccination fee separately.
On the morning of the 11th, citizens are watching a broadcast on the New Year’s address of President Moon Jae-in in the waiting room of Seoul Station. [사진=연합뉴스]– A high-ranking government official also said at this time, “If the vaccination fee is free to all citizens, the number of vaccants at a time may cause confusion, or there may be side effects. There is also a problem with the number, so the general public needs to pay the minimum vaccination fee for sequential vaccination.” The government’s official position was that a certain amount of vaccination cost burden was necessary, as it required a confusion-free sequential vaccination and verification of side effects.
The additional budget burden is also a problem to be solved. According to the National Assembly member Lee Tae-gyu, if the government pays the total cost of vaccination for the 136 million doses (for 56 million people), which was announced on the 29th of last month, the amount of vaccination is 2,887,320 million won, plus Alpha (Moder It was found that the contract amount of B-Cobax facility) is necessary. Some have estimated that a budget of close to 4 trillion won is needed as modders and vaccines are expensive.
The government created a budget of 1.3 trillion won last year and this year, securing resources to purchase vaccines for 44 million people. The purchase cost for an additional 12 million bottles will be covered by using reserve expenses. However, the amount to be spent on vaccination for the whole country is estimated to be over 2 trillion won, and the government has not been able to determine whether it should be fully funded by the government.
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AstraZeneca vaccine[사진 제공=아스트라제네카]
– The government is reviewing whether it is possible to finance the health insurance when supporting the national vaccination fee. This year’s national treasury support for health insurance is 9.5 trillion won, which is calculated to cover the vaccination fee. In the US, where vaccination is currently being performed, the basic vaccination fee is free and the vaccination fee is paid, but the vaccination fee is supported through public health or private insurance.
However, opinions are still divided on whether free vaccinations are needed for citizens, including the middle class.
This is because, while there are claims that the government should support the corona 19 vaccination as a measure to form collective immunity, doubts are raised whether the middle class and above should also receive the vaccination free of charge.
The Ministry of Science and Technology plans to prepare detailed vaccination plans in consultation with the relevant ministries. An official of the Ministry of Science and Technology said, “As the vaccination department is the KCDC, we can negotiate the budget only if the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention can make a plan,” he said.
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