Healthcare reform after MERS outbreak: progress to date and next steps

Abstract

To avoid a future catastrophic event like the recent Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreak, we must reform our health system based on an objective and thorough review of the outbreak. A little over a year after the outbreak, this paper aims to evaluate the current status of the government's effort to reform our health system across the three following areas: 1) infectious disease emergency preparedness and response; 2) an organized healthcare system for infectious diseases; and 3) hospital preparedness for healthcare-associated infections. In spite of the substantial organizational changes of the Korea Centers for Disease Control (CDC) responsible for infectious disease emergency preparedness and response, the Korea CDC has not shown significant improvement in its competence and organizational commitment in the face of recent infectious disease threats such as Zika virus and cholera. So far, the Korean government has not announced an implementation plan for establishing an organized healthcare system for infectious diseases. To reduce healthcare associated infections, the Korean government implemented major changes in the hospital infection control system, emergency medical service system, and enhanced nursing system. Because the most extensive reform occurred around reducing healthcare-associated infections in hospitals, we need to evaluate the impact of the entire reform effort in a near future. Because the effort to reform our health system remains ongoing, we also need to continue to observe the progress of reform to ensure the avoidance of a future catastrophic event like the recent MERS outbreak.