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flu vaccination starts on the 14th of the following week. Children under the age of 13 and pregnant women can get the vaccine free of charge. The problem is that there are not enough vaccines to get free. There are concerns that we may have to search for a vaccine again like last year.



Reporter Park Soo-jin reported.



<Reporter> This



is a pediatric hospital in Gwangmyeong-si, Gyeonggi-do.



Influenza vaccination for 6-month-olds to 13-year-olds is starting next week, but the vaccines we have secured are far short.



[Lee Jong-won / Director of Pediatrics: (As usual) There should be more than 1,000, but there are only 380. It's hard to find, so last year only a third... .] The



situation is similar in this department of family medicine in Yeongdeungpo, Seoul.



Not long ago, I was trying to get a flu vaccine through a first-come-first-served sale on a wholesale site, but it sold out quickly.



[Insang Yoo / Director of Family Medicine: The number (available for purchase) was limited to 50, and at first, they were given on a first-come, first-served basis… I reported the text message, but it's already over.]



This year's flu vaccine supply is 28 million people.



[Kim Ki-Nam / Head of Vaccination Planning Division (August 31): (This year's flu vaccine) is not at a level that is insufficient compared to previous years.]



But why is it difficult for hospitals to obtain vaccines?



Vaccines for children and pregnant women are first purchased by the hospital and then reimbursed by the government and pharmaceutical companies.



If the price of a vaccine is 20,000 won, the government refunds 11,000 won and pharmaceutical companies refund 9,000 won to the hospital.



From the pharmaceutical company's point of view, it is advantageous to sell it for general inoculation, which does not require a refund.



When I looked at the wholesale site where the actual vaccine purchase was made, the conditions were 'NIP impossible' or 'NIP applicable vaccine is not available'.



It is not intended to be sold to children or pregnant women.



If hospitals want to vaccinate them, they have to pay their own money to buy a generic vaccine.



That's why some hospitals say they won't give free vaccinations.



[Lee Jong-won / Director of Pediatrics: (If the supply is not resolved), there may be such an inconvenience that guardians have to take their babies (to hospitals that provide free inoculations).] The Korea



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention He said that he would ask for cooperation to prevent such cases from occurring.



(Video editing: Hwang Ji-young, CG: Jang Seong-beom, VJ: Shin So-young)