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Busan to Launch the Nation’s First “BASIC” Certification System for Infection-Safe Care This Month

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that starting this month, it will officially implement the nation’s first “Busan Accreditation for Safe Infection Care (BASIC).”
*Busan Accreditation for Safe Infection Care (BASIC): A certification system for facilities that uphold the BASIC standards of infection control.

The city developed the “BASIC” system as an action-oriented, regionally customized certification program for elderly care facilities. Moving away from the central government-led approach, Busan has presented a new model led by the local government, with potential for nationwide adoption.

Prior to this initiative, in February, the city hosted a forum on infection control in nursing hospitals and elderly care facilities, considering the city’s demographic profile with a high proportion of elderly residents. Based on this, Busan enacted the “Ordinance on Infection Control Certification and Support in Busan Metropolitan City” in May, establishing a legal foundation for a systematic infection control framework.

The “BASIC” system targets elderly care facilities (101 locations as of December 31, 2024), providing certification to facilities that meet a standardized set of infection control criteria. Its goal is to build a community-based self-regulatory disease prevention system and to foster a safe care environment.

Rather than simply evaluating facilities, the certification system involves customized pre-consultations, followed by an assessment. Facilities that meet the required score are granted certification. This approach encourages autonomous infection prevention activities and helps prevent the spread of infectious diseases within the community.

The evaluation indicators consist of 34 items. These indicators were developed by the Busan Public Healthcare Support Group through seven months of collaboration with infectious disease experts, facility administrators, city officials, and social service workers, involving site visits and data collection.

The certification process will proceed as follows:
▲ Project briefing session (August)
▲ Announcement and application (August)
▲ Pre-consultation (September)
▲ Facility self-assessment report (October)
▲ On-site evaluation (October)
▲ Certification granted (November)

Facilities that score 70 points or more and receive approval from the certification review committee will be certified. Certified facilities will receive a certificate and plaque, and the certification will be valid for three years. During the certification period, the city will conduct annual infection control monitoring to maintain standards.

This year, Busan plans to certify three elderly care facilities. The city will gradually expand the program, aiming to certify 50% of all elderly care facilities by 2030.

To promote understanding of the system among care facility workers and stakeholders, a project briefing session will be held on August 11 at 3:00 p.m. in the Busan City Council’s main conference room. Co-hosted by the city and the Busan Social Service Agency, the session will provide an overview of the purpose, certification procedures, and evaluation indicators for approximately 100 participants including elderly care facility staff, stakeholders, city council members, and local government officials.

Meanwhile, since establishing the Facility Infection Control Team in February last year to oversee infection control in nursing hospitals, elderly care facilities, psychiatric institutions, and facilities for the disabled, Busan has been pursuing various initiatives to build a comprehensive infection control infrastructure.

To safeguard residents with weakened immune systems, the city has conducted:
▲ Infection control status surveys at 748 facilities including nursing hospitals and elderly care centers
▲ Customized on-site infection control consulting
▲ Infectious disease prevention training for infection control officers and program managers
▲ Development and distribution of tailored infection control manuals

These efforts aim to address gaps in the infection control system.

Looking ahead, the city plans to further strengthen infection disease prevention and control by:
▲ Promoting the BASIC certification system
▲ Expanding and training on-site infection control advisory committees
▲ Establishing an infection control education system

Cho Kyu-yul, Director General of the Citizen Health Bureau, stated, “The infection-safe care certification system is a vital policy to protect the safety and health of our citizens. We hope that through the briefing session, many facilities will understand the value of the system and actively participate. We will continue to make dedicated efforts to prevent infectious diseases in the community and ensure a safer environment for all residents.”