The Korean Medical Association (KMA) has called for practical measures to address growing shortages of medical consumables such as syringes and pharmaceutical packaging materials, warning that supply of petrochemical raw materials including naphtha has been disrupted by the Middle East conflict.
Kim Sung-geun, spokesperson for the KMA, said at a regular briefing held at the KMA headquarters in Yongsan-gu, Seoul on Sunday, "In the field, there are serious concerns about stable supply of basic items such as syringes as well as various packaging materials. Some institutions have already reported that supplies are not being delivered." He urged government authorities to "thoroughly manage the production and distribution process."
The KMA said the crisis highlights the need for fundamental measures against unilateral price hikes on items classified as "non-calculable" under the national health insurance system. Under the current system, syringe costs are set at around 1,000 won. Items such as medical gloves are literally included in the fee schedule for each medical procedure, making them "non-calculable items" with no separately designated cost. When prices rise, individual medical institutions must absorb the burden.
Korea Vaccine, a supplier of medical consumables including syringes, recently sent an official notice to medical institutions announcing a 15 to 20 percent price increase on all disposable syringes and needles for a two-month period starting this month, though the company subsequently suspended the planned hike.
"A significant portion of the costs for supplies used by medical institutions are designated as non-calculable items on the grounds that they are already embedded in the fee schedule," Kim said. "Unilateral price increases on these items cannot be compensated from any source, so they directly translate into financial burdens for medical institutions."
He added, "Price increases are almost never reflected in the fee schedule. During national crises such as COVID-19 or the current situation, price hikes on non-calculable items must be restrained. A fundamental re-examination of the non-calculable item system is needed going forward."
Separately, the KMA said it "highly commends the preemptive response" reflected in the government's supplementary budget proposal for crisis management, but noted that "education-related budgets necessitated by medical school enrollment expansion do not appear to include previously cut portions in this supplementary budget." The association called for additional measures.