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Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Held ‘Great Endoscope’ Campaign Launching Press Conference

  • Wednesday, June 29, 2016, 11:28 pm
  • ACROFAN=Jae-Yong Ryu
  • jaeyong.ryu@acrofan.com
Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (Chairman Yang Chang-heon, Chief Director Kim Yong-tae) with Korean Gastrointestinal Endoscopy Research Foundation (Chief Director Kim Yong-tae) opened the press conference at the Plaza Hotel, Jung-gu, Seoul, Korea on June 29, and announced that ‘Great Endoscope,’ the nationwide improved campaign of endoscope awareness, will be progressed.

This campaign is designed in an attempt to help national health promotion by increasing early detection rate of stomach or colon cancer through improving awareness of endoscopy and providing the right information.

In Korean, the name of the campaign, ‘Great Endoscope,’ used the first words of the digestive organs, stomach and large intestine. It means a pan-national campaign for Korea with healthy stomach and large intestine. Also, it contains a meaning of the great endoscope that early detects stomach or colon cancer and saves lives with minimal invasive technique. An endoscopy has a meaning of the great behavior which can protect not only one’s health but also family’s and surrounding people’s happiness.

 
▲ The importance of endoscopy is explained through main plan announcements and researches by the academic world leaders.

 
▲ The important people of academic world participated, and longed for national interest about endoscope.

In the world, Korea has the highest rates of stomach and colon cancer, and domestically, they rank no. 2 and no. 3 respectively. With a regular endoscopy according to the national cancer screening recommendations, these diseases can be more than 90% completely cured through early detection.

Especially when early detected, they can be cured with simple procedures such as ESD (Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection) which does not require laparotomy, so the risk of surgical complication or sequel decreases. However, still many people let the disease grow on the excuse of being busy, overconfidence of health, or a vague fear about endoscopy.

From the age of 50, especially, it is the period of rapidly increasing risks for stomach and colon cancer, so a regular gastrointestinal endoscopy is necessary. According to the statistics index of ‘Malignant neoplasm of stomach (C16)’ announced by Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service in 2014, the number of stomach cancer patients from 20s to 40s steadily decreases while that of patients with the age of 50s constantly increases. Also, according to the ‘4th colon cancer adequacy assessment’ announced by the same institution in 2016, among the patients who got colon cancer operation, the patients with the age of higher than 50s took 89.6%, which is the majority.

Kim Yong-tae, Chief Director Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, said “It is nearly impossible to feel stomach and colon cancer with body as they do not have unusual symptoms. So, the regular endoscopy is necessary.” And “However, it seems that the public’s recognition of the importance of regular checkup is low, so we progressed this campaign. We will continue our efforts to let the public know the importance of endoscopy through various programs, and pave the way for national health promotion.”

 
▲ Kim Yong-tae, Chief Director Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

 
▲ Jang Byeong-ik, Director of disinfection and sedation Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

 
▲ Jin Yoon-tae, Director of endoscope quality management Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

 
▲ Lee Jong-gyun, Scholarship Director Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

 
▲ Yang Chang-heon, Chairman Korean Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, made a request for pan-national interest about pending issues such as a medical fee.

The society plans to let the public know that they necessarily need to get a regular stomach and large intestine endoscopy from the age of 50 even without any special symptom, and improve the public’s recognition of the excellence and safety of domestic gastrointestinal endoscopy based on world-class medical teams.

It is planning various programs such as opening campaign micro website and SNS or having regular health class to letting more people know ‘Great Endoscope’ campaign, and as a start, it held the press conference that informs campaign launching to the whole nation.

With Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital Prof. Yang Chang-heon’s greeting as a start, Kim Yong-tae from Seoul University Hospital explained the purpose of the campaign, background, program, slogan, logo and etc. in detail, and Prof. Lee Jong-gyun from Samsung Seoul Hospital announced about the current state of domestic stomach and colon cancer and the society’s global positioning which disproves that Korea’s medical team is a world-class.

Moreover, Prof. Jin Yoon-tae from Korea University Anam Hospital and Prof. Jang Byeong-ik from Yeungnam University briefed about the society’s efforts to make safe and reliable endoscopy environment; management of the best endoscopy room certification system, establishment and education of endoscope disinfectant guidelines, education of sedated endoscopy and publication of the guidebooks.