Seocho-gu Implements Nation's First 'Postpartum Caregiver and Newborn Health Manager Certification System'

On the 7th, 29 Certified Health Care Workers Graduated for the First Time; Plan to Ensure Over 90% of Postpartum and Newborn Health Care Workers Complete Certification Training... Annual Continuing Education and Continuous Service Monitoring for Thorough Follow-up Management

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seocho-gu (Mayor Cho Eun-hee) will implement the nation’s first ‘Seocho-gu Sanmo·Newborn Health Care Worker Certification System’ to improve the quality of services in the maternal and newborn health care project.

Sanmo·newborn health care workers visit postpartum families to monitor the health of mothers and newborns, provide hygiene and nutrition management, offer postpartum recovery information to mothers, assist with household activities, and provide emotional support, helping with postpartum care services.

The satisfaction level of service users is high, and demand continues to increase.

In response, since 2017, the district has been running the Seocho Sanmo Caregiver Support Project, which subsidizes 90% of the out-of-pocket expenses for maternal and newborn health care services for all childbirth families.

The newly introduced ‘Seocho-gu Sanmo·Newborn Health Care Worker Certification System’ goes a step further by enhancing the qualitative level of health care services.

The district developed a high-quality certification education program by introducing its own educational materials and manuals and selecting specialized instructors in each field. On the 7th of this month, 29 individuals became the first ‘Seocho Certified Sanmo·Newborn Health Care Workers.’

To receive certification training, candidates must have at least one year or 1,000 hours of experience and must be recommended by the head of a maternal and newborn health care provider institution within Seocho-gu.

Participants complete a total of 30 hours of certification education over four days.

The training consists of courses for ‘Enhancing Professional Expertise’ and ‘Strengthening Service Competency.’

The ‘Enhancing Professional Expertise’ course covers topics such as managing postpartum physical changes for maternal health care, maternal nutrition management and diet, understanding and preventing postpartum depression, understanding diverse mothers including multicultural and disabled mothers, breastfeeding, special care for newborns, organizing baby items, pets and babies, safety accident prevention and response, child abuse prevention education, and basic administrative tasks related to service execution.

The ‘Strengthening Service Competency’ course includes attitudes and ethics required of health care workers, self-esteem enhancement and positive self-image, stress management and healing, and communication skills for smooth relationship building.

The district has established a thorough follow-up management system to ensure that the Seocho Health Care Worker Certification System does not end with one-time training. This includes mandatory annual refresher training and service monitoring through complaint occurrence and satisfaction surveys, with certification revoked for health care workers who do not meet certain standards.

Going forward, the project will continue with the goal that 90% of maternal and newborn health care workers in the region complete the certification training, ensuring that all childbirth families in the area can access high-quality health care services.

Mayor Cho Eun-hee stated, “We will create a Seocho-gu that leads in creating a childbirth-friendly environment through pioneering projects like the Seocho Sanmo·Newborn Health Care Worker Certification System.”

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