The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety will consolidate five affiliated public institutions into two. In the food safety field, the National Food Safety Information service and the Food Service Safety Management Institute will be merged, and in the pharmaceutical field, the Korea Institute of Drug Satety & Risk Management, the Korea Orphan & Essential Drug Center, and the Vaccine Safety Technology Support Center will be integrated.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said on the 7th it will push this public institution function reform to provide food and drug safety services that meet public demand. The goal is to bundle functions that had been divided by institution into one and link everything from information collection to policy research and on-site services. This is a follow-up measure to the "Plan to promote reform of public institution functions" released on the 3rd.
First, the National Food Safety Information service and the Food Service Safety Management Institute will be integrated to establish the "Food Safety Policy Development Institute." The National Food Safety Information service has collected and analyzed domestic and international food safety information and conducted policy research, while the Food Service Safety Management Institute has operated meal service management support centers and handled hygiene and nutrition management for meal services.
The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety expects that the integration of the two institutions will strengthen the system for delivering food safety information to meal service sites. Currently, 238 meal service management support centers nationwide support meal service management at daycare centers and senior welfare facilities.
An official at the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety said, "For example, if food safety hazard information is identified, related information can be quickly delivered to the field through meal service management support centers nationwide," and noted, "Previously, the functions of food safety information collection and analysis and meal service site management were divided between separate institutions."
Hygiene and nutrition management data accumulated at meal service sites will also be used for food safety policy research. The Ministery of Food and Drug Safety plans to build a system in which food safety information collection and policy research, on-site application, and policy improvement are connected.
In the pharmaceutical field, the Korea Institute of Drug Satety & Risk Management, the Korea Orphan & Essential Drug Center, and the Vaccine Safety Technology Support Center will be integrated into one. The new institution is expected to be named the "Korea Drug Safety Service."
The Korea Institute of Drug Satety & Risk Management is responsible for collecting and analyzing drug safety information and compensating for adverse reaction damage. The Korea Orphan & Essential Drug Center supports the stable supply of orphan and essential medicines. The Vaccine Safety Technology Support Center is in charge of tests and analyses needed in the vaccine development process, support for productization, and training of specialists.
At the integrated institution, drug safety information and supply-and-demand information will be managed in one place, and guidance on compensation for adverse reactions and the introduction of alternative medicines can also be provided.
Currently, patients who experience adverse reactions after being administered essential medicines must inquire separately with the Korea Institute of Drug Satety & Risk Management for adverse reactions and compensation, and with the Korea Orphan & Essential Drug Center for matters such as introducing alternative medicines. After the institutional integration, the plan is to enable people to receive in one place the information and procedures needed to introduce alternative medicines along with reporting adverse reactions.
Testing and analysis facilities and specialist training functions that had focused on vaccines will also be expanded to all medicines. The plan is to raise the level of drug safety and quality control by broadening the support targets for testing, analysis, and training to include new drugs and advanced biopharmaceuticals.
Going forward, the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety plans to begin revising laws and preparing a detailed roadmap for establishing the integrated institution. The specific organization and personnel operation plan of the integrated institution are expected to be finalized through follow-up procedures.