One-Stop Online and Offline Application for Pregnancy Services Including Pregnancy and Childbirth Medical Expense Support

Government Launches 'Mampyeonhan Imshin' Service Nationwide
Integrated Application Available at Government24, Local Health Centers, and Community Service Centers Based on Resident Registration Address

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] From now on, pregnant women will be able to receive guidance and apply for services such as pregnancy and childbirth medical expense support, folic acid and iron supplement provision all at once through Government24 or the health centers and community service centers under the jurisdiction of their registered residential address.

On the 18th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Korea Post, and related agencies, it will implement the "Mom-Pyeonhan Pregnancy Integrated Service," which provides integrated guidance and application for various services offered to pregnant women, nationwide starting from the 19th.

Last year, the number of births in South Korea was 270,000 (total fertility rate below 0.9), marking an all-time low. For the first time, the number of deaths surpassed the number of births, resulting in a population dead cross, and the population decline has continued for three consecutive months this year.

The Mom-Pyeonhan Pregnancy Integrated Service was piloted from June last year in 20 cities, counties, and districts to overcome the low birthrate issue and create a favorable environment for having and raising children.

Through the pilot, pregnancy support services that previously required pregnant women to visit individual service providers such as health centers, community centers, and Korea Railroad separately to apply have been improved to allow guidance and application all at once via Government24 or health centers and community centers, enhancing accessibility and convenience of service use.

With the nationwide expansion of this service, five additional services including pregnancy and childbirth medical expense support, energy vouchers, and maternal and child health handbooks have been added. Pregnant women can now use 14 nationwide common services as well as services provided by local governments.

In particular, during the COVID-19 risk situation, services provided as goods such as folic acid and iron supplements, maternal and child health handbooks, and local government services can be received more safely and conveniently via delivery. From the 30th, pregnant women can receive deliveries contactlessly by prepaying delivery fees, which will also be discounted. Prepayment can be made contactlessly through advance notification text messages sent on the day of delivery.

Furthermore, if pregnant women consent in advance to information provision and use, pregnancy information and eligibility criteria (such as basic livelihood security recipients and lower-income brackets) required for service provision can be verified online without submitting documents, allowing pregnant women to use services more easily without the burden of document submission.

After giving birth, mothers can register the birth online and use eight childbirth support services such as child-rearing and child allowances, and electricity bill reductions through the Happy Childbirth Integrated Service.

Meanwhile, the government plans to continuously expand the "Life Cycle Integrated Service," which bundles related services tailored to various life stages from birth, growth, marriage and childbirth, employment and entrepreneurship, to death, including the nationwide implementation of the Mom-Pyeonhan Pregnancy Integrated Service.

Jeon Hae-cheol, Minister of the Interior and Safety, said, "The government is striving to create an environment where pregnant women can give birth and raise children with peace of mind through continuous service improvement and collaboration," adding, "We hope the Mom-Pyeonhan Pregnancy Integrated Service will help overcome South Korea's low birthrate problem."

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