Why Do Residents Respond Positively to Nowon-gu Sick Child Care Center Operation?

In October 2020, Sick Childcare Center Established Providing Hospital Accompaniment and Bedside Care... Over 385 Care Cases in 8 Months, Offering Life-Integrated Services Easing Working Couples' Burdens... Sick Child Hospital Accompaniment Service Selected as 2020 'Innovative Case Bringing Positive Change to Citizens' Daily Lives'

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (District Mayor Oh Seung-rok) is operating a Sick Child Care Center that alleviates the difficulties of working parents, receiving great responses from residents.

The Sick Child Care Center, which began operation last October, aims to reduce parents' childcare burdens and strengthen public care. It is an expansion of the ‘Hospital Accompaniment on Behalf of Parents’ project, which was first implemented nationwide in 2019.

The care center operates in two parts: ‘Hospital Accompaniment’ and ‘Bedside Care.’ Hospital Accompaniment is a service where care teachers assist children through the entire process of medical examination, payment, medication, and return home when parents cannot accompany their child for treatment, regular check-ups, vaccinations, or psychological therapy.

When a guardian calls the center, a team of two care teachers visits the child’s location. After the medical examination, the doctor’s diagnosis, prescription, medication, and payment information are sent to the guardian via text message. Then, the child is either taken to a designated place or cared for at the center and handed over to the parent after work.

Bedside Care is available for children who have mild symptoms such as colds and find it difficult to attend school. The center is equipped with six beds, staffed by one dedicated nurse and four care teachers who provide nursing services tailored to the child’s condition. There is a book attic, play area, counseling room, and guardian waiting room, creating a comfortable and cozy atmosphere.

The service is available for children aged 4 years to elementary school students and can be used on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. To protect personal information, the center operates on a membership basis. While the center’s use is free, a deposit of at least 10,000 KRW is collected upon registration to cover hospital and medication costs for the child.

So far, the total number of members is 1,119, and over 380 care services have been provided in nine months. In particular, the Sick Child Hospital Accompaniment service was selected by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as a ‘2020 Government Innovation Case that Brought Positive Changes to the Daily Lives of Citizens,’ and has been introduced as an administrative service with high local resident satisfaction.

Additionally, Nowon-gu provides various care services by age group. Nine communal childcare rooms for children under five and their parents serve as joyful playgrounds for children and information-sharing spaces for parents. After-school care for elementary students is managed by 24 i-Hu Centers. These centers are located within a five-minute distance from schools, allowing children to travel safely, and operate until 8 p.m. to support the social lives of working parents.

District Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “To solve the low birthrate problem, public care services that can practically reduce parents’ childcare burdens are necessary,” and added, “We will continue to discover childcare services where parents can safely entrust their children.”

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