■The Asan Social Welfare Foundation donated 100 million won to the National Disaster Relief Association on the 31st for the restoration of areas affected by wildfires in North Gyeongsang Province. The Asan Foundation, which operates the Yeongdeok Asan Hospital, requested that the donation be used for recovery activities for residents of Yeongdeok County, who suffered significant damage from the wildfires. The wildfires, which began in Uiseong County, spread to Yeongdeok County, and when the fire came within 1.5 kilometers of Yeongdeok Asan Hospital at 9 p.m. on the 25th, the hospital urgently transported inpatients to Gangneung Asan Hospital, located two hours away. A total of 19 medical personnel from Yeongdeok Asan Hospital, including four doctors and 11 nurses, actively responded to the disaster by swiftly and safely evacuating 58 elderly and severely ill patients who had difficulty moving. Currently, the patients have returned to Yeongdeok Asan Hospital based on the decisions of the Fire Agency and Yeongdeok County. The Asan Foundation had previously supported disaster relief for wildfire victims with a total of 500 million won in 2019 in Gangwon Province, 2022 in Gangwon and North Gyeongsang Provinces, and 2023 in Gangwon Province.
■SK discovery announced on the 31st that it, together with its affiliate SK bioscience, SK Plasma, and SK Gas, has donated a total of 500 million won to help residents affected by the recent wildfire in Andong. The donation was made through the North Gyeongsang Provincial Social Welfare Community Chest and will be used to provide daily necessities and restore living conditions for the affected residents. Andong is a key production base where SK bioscience and SK Plasma factories are located. The aim is to help affected residents quickly return to their daily lives. On the 26th, SK Group delivered cash and relief items worth 2 billion won to the National Disaster Relief Association and the community chest to assist local residents affected by this wildfire. The total amount supported by SK Group for wildfire recovery reached 2.5 billion won.
■Hanmi Pharmaceutical supported the recovery efforts for local residents suffering from the recent large wildfires by donating over 30,000 relief items. The company announced on the 31st that it delivered 20,000 packs of 'Calcium-rich Black Bean Soy Milk' and 10,000 cans of the energy drink 'Premium Recipe' as relief supplies, collaborating with local governments in areas affected by large wildfires in South Gyeongsang Province’s Sancheong County and North Gyeongsang Province’s Yeongdeok and Yeongyang Counties.
■Daewoong Pharmaceutical announced on the 31st that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Korea Health Examination Institutions Association to supply the latest digital healthcare diagnostic devices to outpatient medical institutions and enhance health screening services. The signing ceremony took place on the 27th at Daewoong Pharmaceutical's headquarters with Daewoong Pharmaceutical CEO Lee Chang-jae and Korea Health Examination Institutions Association President Kim Dong-il in attendance. This cooperation aims for Daewoong Pharmaceutical to supply digital healthcare diagnostic devices to institutions under the association and to provide expert consultation and verification support.
■Yonsei University Health System provided 100 million won worth of pharmaceuticals to assist disaster victims suffering from wildfires in the Gyeongsang and Ulsan regions and to support firefighters working to extinguish the fires. The donated pharmaceuticals include analgesics, wound ointments, digestive aids, and antihistamines.
■JEIL PHARMA HOLDINGS, along with its subsidiaries including JEIL PHARMACEUTICAL, donated 50 million won to the National Disaster Relief Association to help the regions in the Yeongnam area affected by wildfires. This donation will be used for the recovery of areas recently declared special disaster zones in Yeongnam, support for disaster victims, and improvement of firefighters' working conditions. JEIL PHARMACEUTICAL's subsidiary JEIL HEALTH SCIENCE supported medical supplies through the Gyeongsangbuk-do Pharmacists Association. JEIL HEALTH SCIENCE donated 40,000 patches 'Sanikrin' that have pain and anti-inflammatory effects and 100,000 waterproof band-aids 'Aqua Band Standard Type.'
■GC Biopharma's distribution specialist for health supplements, Earnest, announced on the 31st the launch of 'Super Recipe Faro Enzyme,' which contains organic enzymes from Italy. The newly launched product is made from fermented organic Faro from Italy and is characterized by its potential to aid digestive health and blood sugar management by breaking down gluten.
■The Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital announced on the 31st that it is recruiting participating organizations for its 'Workplace Spine and Joint Health Campaign' aimed at improving the musculoskeletal health of working individuals. In this campaign, medical personnel from Jaseng Korean Medicine Hospital will visit workplaces directly to analyze work environments and provide health solutions considering the work characteristics and lifestyle habits of the employees.
■The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 31st that it will implement a 'rapid response system phase 3 pilot project' starting on the 1st of next month to prevent unexpected deteriorations in patients hospitalized in general wards. The rapid response system is a safety management framework that identifies patients in general wards showing signs of risk early and allows a rapid response team to intervene immediately to prevent deterioration. The pilot project will increase participation from 45 existing medical institutions to 55. The ministry expects to enhance safety management for hospitalized patients through this pilot project.
■The Korea Health Industry Development Institute announced on the 31st that it signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) with the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED) on the 28th in Tokyo, Japan, to enhance global research and development cooperation in the healthcare field. Established in 2015, AMED is a unified management institution for healthcare research and development in Japan, integrating governance previously divided among the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Since AMED's establishment, the Korea Health Industry Development Institute has maintained continuous cooperation, and with this MOC, both countries have agreed to advance joint research projects, seminars, and workshops. They will work to strengthen cooperation among researchers from both countries and promote personnel exchanges, thereby boosting global collaboration. Additionally, Korea's participation in AMED's 'Aspire Program' will begin. The Aspire Program is a joint research project funding program involving 11 participating countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Germany, and Switzerland.
■The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency announced on the 31st that it has established 'reference levels for cardiovascular angiography and interventional procedures' for use by medical institutions when diagnosing and treating cardiovascular diseases. This guideline sets exposure limits for patients during cardiovascular angiography and interventional procedures and provides a framework to minimize exposure. It includes optimization methods such as minimizing the examination area or reducing the duration to lower unavoidable radiation exposure. The agency established these standards in recognition of the recent increase in the number of patients with angina and myocardial infarction, leading to a rise in imaging examinations.