Seoul City’s 'Dolbom SOS Center' Emergency Care Service Hits 70,000 Cases This Year... 60% Increase Compared to Last Year

Number of Center Users Reaches 31,371 This Year, a 70% Increase from Last Year... Usage Amount Exceeds 10 Billion Won

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 31st that it provided nearly 70,000 cases of emergency care services this year to Seoul citizens in need of care, including vulnerable groups, through the Care SOS Center.

According to Seoul City, as of the end of July, the number of emergency care services reached 68,968 cases, which is more than a 60% increase compared to the 43,086 cases provided throughout last year in just seven months. The number of center users this year also increased by 72% to 31,371, compared to 19,996 last year.

The amount spent on services exceeded 10 billion KRW. Compared to the total service expenditure of about 7 billion KRW last year, this represents an increase of more than 40% in just seven months. The service usage fee is the cost incurred when using the center, and the city fully supports those with income below 85% of the median income.

Seoul City analyzed that the demand for services increased sharply as welfare facility use was restricted due to COVID-19, and by expanding the Care SOS Center to all 25 autonomous districts in August last year, it absorbed the rapidly increasing demand, resulting in more users.

Looking at the usage status by service, the ‘Meal Support Service,’ which delivers lunchboxes to recipients, had the highest usage rate at 45.5%. This was followed by the ‘Temporary Home Care Service’ (22.7%), which supports caregiving by visiting care recipients’ homes, and the ‘Housing Convenience Service’ (14.4%), which involves simple repairs and maintenance such as replacing fluorescent lights and installing window screens.

Most applicants for the Care SOS Center services (34,406 people), 96.1%, were low-income individuals with income below 100% of the median, including recipients of basic livelihood security and near-poverty groups. People with disabilities accounted for 21.2%.

By age, seniors aged 65 and over made up the majority at 76.8%. One in five applicants (20%) were middle-aged adults aged 50 to 64, who are considered to be in the care blind spot. Regarding household size, 68.4% of applicants were single-person households, the highest proportion. Two-person households accounted for 13.1%, and households with three or more people were 3.3%.

Jung Sang-taek, Acting CEO of the Seoul Welfare Foundation (Seoul City Welfare Planning Officer), said, “As the COVID-19 crisis prolongs, the difficulties of vulnerable groups are intensifying. Seoul City will do its best to secure care personnel and budgets to ensure that emergency care services are promptly provided to citizens in need.”

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