"If Customers' Verbal Abuse Hurts Employees' Hearts, Temporary Work Suspension" Expansion to All Workers Planned

Call center worker on a phone consultation

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] A pilot project that connects individuals at high risk of mental illness to specialized facilities when they visit local clinics near their residence will begin in the second half of this year. Measures to protect all workers, such as temporarily stopping work or extending break times when employees engaged in face-to-face tasks suffer from verbal abuse by customers, are also being pursued.

At the National Policy Review and Coordination Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun on the 14th, the second Basic Plan for Mental Health Welfare (Comprehensive Mental Health Measures for All Citizens) containing these details was discussed and made public. This statutory plan will be applied for five years starting this year. Although the importance of mental health has been emphasized, government policies and systems have been insufficient, and with the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic last year exacerbating mental health issues, there has been a strong call for a more proactive national response.

First, in response to the prolonged COVID-19 situation, the number of mobile safety buses, which have been operating for frontline responders and vulnerable groups, will be increased from one to thirteen. An ICT-based self-management method allowing individuals to conduct self-assessments will be developed and distributed starting next year. A program where experts visit schools to provide consulting for vulnerable groups and students at mental health risk will begin this year, and five additional occupational trauma centers for workers will be added, increasing the total to thirteen.

Furthermore, the scope of protective measures for health damage caused by verbal abuse from customers will be expanded to include all workers. Protective measures include temporarily suspending or changing work tasks or extending break times. Guidelines reflecting the characteristics of high-risk emotional labor jobs such as call centers will be established.

To aid psychological recovery in disaster situations, the Disaster Psychological Recovery Support Team, established at the central government level last year, will also be created at the metropolitan government level by the first half of this year. Additionally, the number of regional trauma centers, currently only two, will be increased to seven by the year after next.

Basic Overview of the "Comprehensive Mental Health Plan for All Citizens (2nd Basic Plan for Mental Health Welfare)" Announced by the Government on the 14th

To identify early-stage patients sooner, the youth early intervention service areas will be expanded from the current seven provinces and cities to all provinces and cities by next year, and the “Mental Health Clinic Pilot Project” will be conducted in the second half of this year. This approach utilizes accessible local clinics to address psychiatric issues, providing screening test fees or referral patient management fees when high-risk individuals visiting clinics are connected to mental health welfare centers (psychiatric departments).

Regional psychiatric emergency medical centers will be designated at 14 locations by 2025 to provide rapid treatment for patients with mental illnesses who pose risks of self-harm or harm to others. The pilot project for psychiatric emergency hospitalization fees, which has been in effect since last year, will conclude in 2022, and based on the results, it will be institutionalized in 2023.

To reduce infection risks and create a treatment-friendly environment by lowering density, the maximum number of beds will be reduced from the current 10 to 6, and the distance between beds will be set at 1.5 meters, maintaining the strengthened facility standards for psychiatric medical institutions. When the Ministry of Health and Welfare initially announced these facility standards, there was significant opposition from frontline medical institutions and experts, but although the exact implementation date was not disclosed, the standards will be maintained. A full survey will be conducted to assess closed wards in psychiatric medical institutions, and an environmental improvement council composed of related organizations, experts, and families will also be operated.

Other plans included in this policy are increasing the number of psychiatric rehabilitation facilities such as independent living experience houses from 348 to 548, creating 500 peer supporter-type jobs utilizing recovery experiences, and expanding addiction management integrated support centers, addiction rehabilitation facilities, and specialized addiction hospitals. Education, prevention center linkage plans, and life-keeper systems will be established to identify high-risk suicide groups in advance, and related organizations and workforce infrastructure will also be expanded.

The government plans to spend an average of 400 billion KRW annually, totaling 2 trillion KRW over the next five years, in the mental health sector. The Suicide Prevention Policy Committee, chaired by the Prime Minister, will be expanded into the Mental Health Welfare Policy Deliberation Committee, and public-private cooperation channels including professional societies and related organizations will be broadened. Minister of Health and Welfare Kwon Deok-cheol stated, “Mental health issues have been a blind spot in policy due to societal prejudice and lack of interest, placing the burden on individuals and their families. We will strengthen national responsibility and publicness and strive to ensure that no citizen is marginalized in mental health matters.”

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