Health

Value-based healthcare in Korea: A pioneer in Asia

September 14, 2017

Asia

September 14, 2017

Asia
Naka Kondo

Manager, Policy and insights

Naka is an editorial manager at Economist Impact, based in Tokyo. As the project lead of the Back to Blue initiative, her focus coverage range from sustainability, ocean health, and longevity, among other issues. Before joining The Economist Group, after a brief period sitting in the advisory committee for the Japan Cabinet Office, Naka dedicated seven years in the Japanese Equities business where she communicated closely with Japanese companies and institutional investors around the world. As a journalist, Naka's work appears in The Bungei Shunju, one of the largest publications in Japan, with more than 80 pieces published on topics ranging from economics, politics and culture. Naka's work has been featured in 3 Japanese national newspapers in 2021. Naka has studied at the London School of Economics and Political Science (BSc Maths&Philosophy transferring to BSc Sociology) and the University of Tokyo (BA Social Psychology). She is also a journalism graduate of the Undergraduate Research Program at the Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies at the University of Tokyo.

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Korea’s healthcare infrastructure is well developed compared to that of neighbouring countries. In addition, cost-effectiveness is well established as one aspect of the process used to analyse healthcare value for money. However, a consistent understanding of what value entails is still not established.

Moreover, given its relatively low level of health spending compared with that of other developed countries, Korea has scope to increase health spending. At the same time, with Korea’s population ageing at a similar rate to those of its peers, stark choices lie ahead. 

How can Korea tackle these challenges to keep its healthcare system a model for the rest of Asia?

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