"Colombia, Then South Korea?" ... TB Cases Surge, but Elderly Screening Budget Slashed 30%

Outreach tuberculosis screening to be reduced from 180,000 to 120,000 people
"Budget should be increased to prevent tuberculosis from spreading among older people"

South Korea has the second-highest tuberculosis incidence rate among members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), yet next year’s budget for tuberculosis screening for vulnerable groups has been cut by about 30%.

According to data submitted to Rep. Park Yonggap of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency and the Korean Tuberculosis Association, next year’s budget for the “mobile tuberculosis screening program for vulnerable groups” will be KRW 2.389 billion, down 29.3% from KRW 3.379 billion this year. As a result, the number of people in high-risk groups slated to receive proactive screenings is also set to fall by 33.3%, from 180,000 to 120,000.

The Asia Business Daily DB

South Korea’s tuberculosis incidence rate remains high compared with those of other major developed countries. In 2024, the rate was 35 cases per 100,000 people, the second-highest among OECD members after Colombia, at 49. The gap was also wide compared with Japan (9.8), France (7.8), Germany (5.4) and the United States (3.2).

The proportion of tuberculosis patients aged 65 or older rose from 51% in 2021 to 57.9% in 2023 and 62.5% last year. The number of tuberculosis patients per 100,000 people in each age group last year also increased with age.

Tuberculosis incidence among Medical Aid beneficiaries was 128.9 cases per 100,000 people, 4.5 times the rate of 28.9 among National Health Insurance members, leaving vulnerable groups at greater risk of the disease.

“South Korea’s tuberculosis incidence rate is higher than that of other developed countries, and the proportion of patients with tuberculosis is rising, particularly among people aged 65 or older,” Rep. Park said. “The government should increase the budget for the mobile tuberculosis screening program for vulnerable groups to prevent tuberculosis from becoming widespread among older adults.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.