Changes In Public Health Sector In Response To A New Public Health Initiative Using Traditional Medicine In Korea

Abstract

Objective: Since 2001, the government of Korea has given many efforts to enhance the role and function of traditional Korean medicine in health care sector through implementing health promotion programme using traditional Korean medicine introduced into public health centers in Korea. However, the impacts of the new initiative related to Traditional Korean Medicine on public health sector have not been evaluated yet. The research question of this study is how the public health sector responses to the new initiative in Korea.

Methods: In order to do this, this study explores the impacts in various ways using contents analysis of existing data and documents related to traditional Korean medicine (TKM) and health policy. To collect the information on outcome measures evaluating the programme by public health centre, we reviewed annual reports for health promotion programme using traditional Korean medicine of Hub public health centers, as pilots health centers, which have implemented the health promotion programme collectively.

Results: Many changes in public health sector are observed such as: the number of programme implemented; outcome measures used by the public health centers for evaluating health promotion programme using TKM; the changes of public health workers; the change of the number of public health organisation, human resources and finance; and so on.

Discussion: This paper discusses the impact and recent policies based on expectations in relation to the impacts which result in public health sector services, its infrastructure and activities in Korea: in particular, the impacts on health education, outcome measures, infrastructure support, geographic distribution of health care resources and personnel. Lastly, some policy recommendations are made.