"National vaccination budget decreases despite annual increase in cervical cancer patients"
Oct 15, 2024
At the 2024 Health and Welfare Committee's parliamentary audit on the 8th, Ji Young-mi, the head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, answered a question from Seo Young-seok (Democratic Party of Korea, Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi-do) of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee that it will be difficult to implement free HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine next year.
According to the data received by Seo Young-seok from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall budget of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2025 was reduced by 22.1% from 1.6303 trillion won in 2024 to 1.2698 trillion won in 2025. Among them, the national vaccination (NIP) project budget decreased 24.9% from 801.22 billion won in 2024 to 601.83 billion won in 2025.
As a result of analyzing the number of patients with cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, and patients from August 2020 to 2024, which was submitted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, it was confirmed that it is steadily increasing every year.
Cervical cancer, which occurs in women, has increased every year from 61,892 in 2020 to 70,109 in 2023. By August this year, the number of cervical cancer patients recorded 60,186, and 92,79 patients are expected arithmetically.
In addition, head and neck cancer and oropharyngeal cancer, which have a higher incidence in men than in women, also increased every year from 397,951 and 5,466 in 2020 to 446,322 and 6,651 in 2023. By August this year, the number of patients was 383,921 and 6002, and arithmetically, it is expected to reach 575,882 and 9003, respectively, by the end of the year.
Both the ruling and opposition parties have already implemented the free HPV vaccination project for men and women, which is a presidential pledge. Twenty-eight of them are supporting 9-valent vaccinations. However, Korea still supports bivalent or tetravalent vaccines only for female adolescents and low-income women. This is about the level of support from Mexico and Costa Rica.
Representative Seo Young-seok pointed out that it is "very regrettable that South Korea, which has risen in the ranks of advanced countries, remains at the level of vaccination support of Mexico and Costa Rica..."and that it is an irresponsible act to defeat vaccine support at a time when the number of HPV-infected patients is increasing every year."
Representative Seo then stressed that both the government and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should make efforts to help Korea become a welfare advanced country and a medical power in name and reality by expanding HPV support for men and women.
According to the data received by Seo Young-seok from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the overall budget of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2025 was reduced by 22.1% from 1.6303 trillion won in 2024 to 1.2698 trillion won in 2025. Among them, the national vaccination (NIP) project budget decreased 24.9% from 801.22 billion won in 2024 to 601.83 billion won in 2025.
As a result of analyzing the number of patients with cervical cancer, head and neck cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, and patients from August 2020 to 2024, which was submitted by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, it was confirmed that it is steadily increasing every year.
Cervical cancer, which occurs in women, has increased every year from 61,892 in 2020 to 70,109 in 2023. By August this year, the number of cervical cancer patients recorded 60,186, and 92,79 patients are expected arithmetically.
In addition, head and neck cancer and oropharyngeal cancer, which have a higher incidence in men than in women, also increased every year from 397,951 and 5,466 in 2020 to 446,322 and 6,651 in 2023. By August this year, the number of patients was 383,921 and 6002, and arithmetically, it is expected to reach 575,882 and 9003, respectively, by the end of the year.
Both the ruling and opposition parties have already implemented the free HPV vaccination project for men and women, which is a presidential pledge. Twenty-eight of them are supporting 9-valent vaccinations. However, Korea still supports bivalent or tetravalent vaccines only for female adolescents and low-income women. This is about the level of support from Mexico and Costa Rica.
Representative Seo Young-seok pointed out that it is "very regrettable that South Korea, which has risen in the ranks of advanced countries, remains at the level of vaccination support of Mexico and Costa Rica..."and that it is an irresponsible act to defeat vaccine support at a time when the number of HPV-infected patients is increasing every year."
Representative Seo then stressed that both the government and the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention should make efforts to help Korea become a welfare advanced country and a medical power in name and reality by expanding HPV support for men and women.
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