코로나19 등 감염병 대유행 재난 대응에 필요한 자원 확보 법 제도 검토

Abstract

The importance of securing necessary resources for responding to disasters like pandemics was experienced firsthand during the COVID-19 pandemic when there were shortages of essential resources. By reviewing the legislative changes made by lawmakers as reflective considerations during the COVID-19 situation, we can analyze the deficiencies in our country's legal system at the time. Lawmakers' reflective considerations should not remain as mere declarations but should strive to aid future pandemic responses. The improvement in the current legal framework to ensure timely procurement of resources that can be produced and supplied domestically and internationally is positively evaluated. However, the basic principles of resource procurement during a pandemic must consider both necessity and uncertainty under limited budgets. Based on such principles, we proposed measures for securing resources that can be produced and supplied domestically, imported from abroad, or need to be developed swiftly due to their absence both domestically and internationally. For resources that can already be produced and supplied domestically, production and supply volumes should be increased following the outbreak of an infectious disease crisis. For resources with little demand in normal situations, the government should bear the cost to secure them. For resources that can be imported from abroad, domestic production bases should be established. Most importantly, for resources like vaccines or treatments that are not available domestically or internationally and need to be developed swiftly, necessary budgets and societal support for building research and development capacities are essential.