South Korea Cuts Vulnerable Tuberculosis Screening Budget Despite High OECD Rates

South Korea’s incidence of tuberculosis remains among the highest in the developed world, yet government funding for targeted screenings among vulnerable populations faces a sharp reduction for the coming year, view.asiae.co.kr reported on October 9.

Budget Cuts Shrink Mobile Screening Target by One-Third

Health authorities have slated the budget for the outreach tuberculosis screening program targeting vulnerable groups at 23억8900만원 for next year. This figure represents a 29.3% drop from this year’s allocation of 33억7900만원, according to data submitted by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korean National Tuberculosis Association to Representative Park Yong-gap of the Democratic Party.

Consequently, the number of high-risk individuals slated to receive proactive screenings will shrink from 180,000 people to 120,000 people, marking a 33.3% contraction in program capacity.

Comparative Tuberculosis Rates Across Developed Nations

South Korea maintains the second-highest tuberculosis incidence rate among member states of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Data from 2024 shows 35 tuberculosis cases per 100,000 residents nationwide. Colombia records the highest rate among OECD peers at 49 cases per 100,000.

The gap widens significantly when compared against other advanced economies. Japan reports 9.8 cases per 100,000 residents, France records 7.8 cases, Germany logs 5.4 cases, and the United States registers 3.2 cases per 100,000.

Vulnerable socioeconomic brackets face an even heavier burden. Medical aid beneficiaries experience a tuberculosis incidence rate of 128.9 per 100,000 residents, which is 4.5 times higher than the 28.9 cases per 100,000 recorded among general national health insurance subscribers.

Tuberculosis Cases Rise Among Older Adults

Older adults account for an increasingly large share of total tuberculosis patients nationwide. Patients aged 65 and older represented 51% of all cases in 2021, climbing to 57.9% in 2023, and reaching 62.5% last year. Case counts per 100,000 residents rose correspondingly with age brackets throughout last year.

Representative Park Yong-gap criticized the planned fiscal rollbacks in light of these demographic realities. Our country has a higher tuberculosis incidence rate compared to other advanced countries, and the proportion of tuberculosis patients is expanding, especially centered around elderly seniors, Park stated, calling on the government to scale up the outreach screening budget to prevent widespread transmission among seniors.