Allergy Immunology Center, Korea University, Seoul, Korea.
Department of Pediatrics, Korea University Anam Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Apr 8;39(13):e121. doi: 10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e121.
National vaccine injury compensation serves as a crucial and significant safety net for individuals affected by government-recommended vaccines during a pandemic, contributing to the community's overall safety. In the Republic of Korea, compensation for adverse events resulting from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccinations has been provided through the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program introduced in 1995. However, there have been limitations with these measures during the COVID-19 pandemic owing to strict criteria for substantiating causality between the vaccine and injury, its nontransparent process of determining whether to compensate, and the compensation amount that is not practically calculated. This article reviewed the Vaccine Injury Compensation Programs in 10 major countries to present implications for improving the Korean system. Expanding the scope of national accountability is essential to compensate for the consequences of adhering to national policies during public health crises. Therefore, valuable insight can be obtained from examining the systems in Germany, Japan, and Taiwan, which have implemented more relaxed criteria for determining causality in compensation cases; Thailand's system, which provides the mandatory payment of preliminary compensation for damage caused by vaccination; systems in Germany, France, and Japan, which offer compensation for vaccine injuries from a practical perspective; and systems in France and the United Kingdom, which have a process allowing the assessment records to be shared with the claimants. Furthermore, a dedicated agency for vaccine injury compensation, as seen in France, the United Kingdom, and Australia, is necessary to enhance the efficiency of the Korean system.
国家疫苗伤害赔偿是一个至关重要的安全网，为在大流行期间受政府推荐疫苗影响的个人提供保障，有助于维护社区的整体安全。在韩国，自 1995 年引入国家疫苗伤害赔偿计划以来，为因 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）疫苗接种而产生的不良事件提供了赔偿。然而，由于在 COVID-19 大流行期间，证明疫苗与伤害之间因果关系的严格标准、非透明的赔偿决定过程以及实际计算的赔偿金额有限，这些措施存在局限性。本文综述了 10 个主要国家的疫苗伤害赔偿计划，为改善韩国系统提出了启示。扩大国家问责制的范围对于赔偿公共卫生危机期间遵守国家政策的后果至关重要。因此，从考察实施更宽松赔偿案件因果关系判断标准的德国、日本和台湾地区的系统；泰国的系统，为接种疫苗造成的损害提供强制性初步赔偿；德国、法国和日本的系统，从实际角度为疫苗伤害提供赔偿；以及法国和英国的系统，该系统允许与索赔人共享评估记录的过程中，可以获得有价值的见解。此外，法国、英国和澳大利亚等国设立专门的疫苗伤害赔偿机构，对于提高韩国系统的效率是必要的。
