60 Years of Safeguarding the Nation: From Parasite Eradication to the Cutting Edge of Next-Generation Sequencing

Health Management Association, preparing for the next 60 years

Chronic disease management using wearables and apps

Active research on disease prediction using genetic information

This may be an upsetting story for the MZ generation, but for the older generation, the memory of submitting feces in the waste envelope distributed at school is still vivid. Even though everyone sealed the bag by striking a match, the smell came out of someone’s bag because this process was inadequate. When I was poor, I had nothing to eat, so I couldn’t even defecate, so I took dog feces from the alley, and upon testing, all kinds of parasites were detected. There was even a story about being called in by a teacher. Each generation who lived in those days would have had at least one episode that occurred while testing stool for parasites.

The Korea Parasite Eradication Association, which at the time took action to prevent parasites not only for students but also for the entire public, has been carrying out a wider range of health-related screening projects under its current name, the Korea Health Management Association (Hyup), since 1986.

This year, marking the 60th anniversary of its founding, the company continues its health management project in the local community by introducing various screening programs based on cutting-edge medicine, including ‘Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) panel testing.’ As times have changed and the level of public health has increased, the scope of applying medicine for health management has also expanded. In particular, as interest in genetic information, which affects not only disease diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, but also daily life management, is growing, the Korea Health Association has been introducing and conducting next-generation sequencing (NGS) gene panel testing since last year. This test, which focuses on 35 types of cancer and 41 types of sudden cardiac arrest, allows you to quickly read and analyze DNA sequence information at a low cost. As it is a representative test for preventive purposes, it does not confirm whether the patient is currently suffering from a disease. It is effective in preventing fatal diseases that may occur due to the effects of the gene by checking for genetic mutations present from birth.

Mutations in certain genes can easily cause various diseases, such as preventing enzymes that perform important functions in the body from being produced properly. This test helps you respond as quickly as possible to situations where you develop cancer in the future, develop heart disease at a young age, or develop rare hereditary diseases due to the influence of genes. Through 35 types of cancer genetic panel tests, it is possible to diagnose whether there is a mutation in the gene that causes hereditary cancer, which accounts for 5 to 10% of all cancers. You can take a closer look by focusing on major cancer types that have a large genetic influence, such as hereditary breast cancer, Lynch syndrome (colon cancer), and familial adenomatous polyposis. 41 types of sudden cardiac arrest genetic panel tests can also reveal genetic factors that play a role in cardiovascular disease.

Since its founding in 1964, the Korea Health Association has been carrying out various health care activities with the aim of improving the quality of life through health promotion. The most representative project is the health checkup project that diagnoses diseases at an early stage and detects disease risk factors through health promotion clinics in 17 city and provincial branches across the country. As the medical paradigm changes from treatment to prevention, chronic disease management programs such as diabetes are being operated using wearable devices and applications to promote health, and various digital healthcare services such as supporting mental health management through virtual reality (VR) are being provided. The service is being implemented. We provide customized programs suitable for individual goals such as obesity prevention, smoking cessation, and abstinence from drinking, as well as diabetes risk group management programs and health checkups. In addition to age-specific checkups such as senior and menopausal health checkups, we also provide detailed checkups by disease category such as cognitive function (dementia), cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, digestive system, and cancer.

For the past 60 years, the Health Insurance Corporation has been listening to the needs for health that have changed over time. After focusing on parasite eradication projects in the 1960s and 1970s, a health checkup system was established in the 1980s and 1990s, and in the 2000s, the focus is on creating healthy lifestyle habits to prevent diseases. In addition, social contribution projects that accompany neighbors in need, international development cooperation projects that help improve health in developing countries, and survey and research projects that provide evidence related to health indicators are being carried out in various fields. It is also an extension of this research to prepare for an era in the near future when personalized services that predict diseases based on individual genetic information will become possible with the help of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data.

Kim In-won, Chairman of the Korea Health Association, said, “As a result of the Korean Health Care Association taking the lead in public health by following the trend of domestic health care for the past 60 years, we have achieved the ‘myth of parasite eradication’ recognized around the world and established a scientific health examination system.” He said, “We will continue to contribute to improving public health through customized medical services and evidence-based research through disease prevention and prediction.”