[Ip-health] Glivec Coalition in South Korea

[James Love]

Sorry if there are some formatting issues here.  jl

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----- Original Message -----
From: "Hae-joo Chung" <peasnhr@hotmail.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 12:54 PM
Subject: [south korea glivec] Petition to National Human rights committee

Press Release/ March 18th/ Glivec Coalition in South Korea

1. The Assembly of CML Patients (leader Gang Joo-Sung) and the South Korean
Coalition for Access to Glivec (leader Suh Hong-Gwan and Kang Bong-Joo)
submitted a petition to the National Human Rights Committee on March 18th.

The petition is about the present NHI system that infringes the patients'
right for health by the fact that the price of Gleevec is too expensive to
buy. Because the patients' share of the payment on medicine is so high, the
patients cannot buy their needed medicine.

2. According to the present NHIsystem, leukemia patients under 18 years old
pay 20% of the cost of medicine whereas same leukemia patients over 18 years
old pay 30%. The ACMLP and GC are claiming that this is a definite
discrimination over age. So they pleaded to the NHRC on this issue.

3. They also claimed that the patients' share of other rare diseases - for
example, Gosher's disease is 20% instead of 30%, and this is also a
discrimination.

4. As it is the first petition being submitted to the NHRC about the NHI
system and it could affect the NHI system a lot, the outcome is going to
attract attention.


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The Gleevec coalition submitted a petition to the National Human Rights
Committee.
(Seoul=AP) NamGyun Kim

On March 18th, the Assembly of CML Patients(ACMLP) and the Gleevec
Coalition(GC) submitted a petition to the National Human Rights
Committee(NHRC), claiming that the present National Health Insurance(NHI)
system is discriminating CML patients by several reasons, and therefor
infringing on their right for health.

According to the present NHI system, leukemia patients under 18 years old
pay 20% of the cost of medicine whereas same leukemia patients over 18 years
old pay 30%. The ACMLP and GC are claiming that this stipulation
discriminates patients according to their age.

They also claimed that the cost share by patients with other rare diseases -
for example, Gosher disease is 20% instead of 30%. This also is a
discrimination.

The ACMLP and GC asked for quick correction of these discriminations because
the price of Gleevec is very expensive. Under the present NHI system, the
patients' burden is so great that they cannot buy the medicine they need so
desperately. Therefore their right for health is seriously infringed.
south@yna.co.kr (?)


<HanKyuRae> The NHI system violates the patients' right for health, patients
submitted petition to the NHRC(National Human Rights Committee)

An argument on the price of Gleevec, a new medicine for Chronic Myelogenous
Leukemia(CML), spreads to other argument on the patients' right for health.

On March 18th, ACMLP(leader Kang Joo-Sung) announced that the present NHI
system violates CML patients' right for health by making the share of
patients on the cost of medicine(Gleevec) so large that patients cannot
afford to buy the medicine, so they submitted petition to the NHRC.

As it is the first petition being submitted to NHI system, its outcome is
going to attract attention.

The present NHI system makes leukemia patients under 18 years old and other
rare diseases pay 20% of the cost of medicine while adult leukemia patients
have to pay 30%. The ACMLP claimed that this is a definite discrimination
over age and type of disease, so they pleaded to the NHRC to correct this
system.

The ACMLP asserted their rights written in the constitution that says "Every
person has the right to live in dignity as a human being. And they also have
right to be provided public health service by the government."
Unfortunately, CML patients are not getting any benefit from this provision.

The ACMLP pointed out that if the patients have to pay as present law
defines, the patients' share will be 640,000won to 860,000 won(492 to 661
dollars) a month. This is a very large burden for patients who cannot earn
money, because of their illness. (Seoul=AP)