Gwangju Nam-gu Supports Treatment Costs for Low-Income Mental Health Patients

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Nam-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (District Mayor Kim Byeong-nae) will officially launch a support project for treatment expenses for low-income patients with mental illnesses.

On the 3rd, Nam-gu announced that among patients who were emergency or administrative hospitalized in medical institutions due to mental illness, early-stage mental illness patients, and outpatient treatment support recipients, low-income mental illness patients who are medical aid recipients or fall below 65% of the national median household income will receive full support for the portion of treatment expenses they are responsible for.

Accordingly, regarding mental illness treatment expenses, the full amount of the patient's partial burden including consultation fees, hospitalization fees, meal costs, medication and dispensing fees, injection fees, anesthesia fees, psychotherapy fees, examination fees, and imaging diagnosis fees will be supported.

Non-covered items among the patient's burden such as superior room charges, medication and dispensing fees, treatment and service fees, examination fees, and certificate fees will not be supported.

However, superior room charges will be supported within a 14-day limit if hospitalization is unavoidable, and treatment expense support is possible only if the conditions are met when emergency hospitalization is converted to administrative hospitalization.

If one wishes to receive support for mental illness-related treatment expenses, the patient or their guardian must apply to the health center with jurisdiction over the patient's address, and the mental medical institution treating the patient should claim the treatment expenses at the health center with jurisdiction over the institution's location.

For inquiries regarding the mental illness patient treatment expense support project, contact the Mental Health Team of the Health Administration Division at Nam-gu Office.

A Nam-gu official stated, “We will actively support to induce intensive treatment at the early stage of onset and ensure that low-income patients with mental illnesses can continuously receive timely and appropriate treatment even after emergency hospitalization and discharge.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.