Seoul City Offers Free Flu Vaccinations for Homeless and Ssokbang Residents... Sanofi and Doctors of Action Join Effort

Preparing for Flu Epidemic Alert After 3 Years... Combining On-site Vaccination and Facility Visit Vaccination

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 17th that it will provide free flu vaccinations for 2,500 people in cooperation with private resources to help vulnerable medical groups such as homeless people and residents of jjokbang (small, cramped rooms) have a healthy winter.

The flu vaccination will be conducted until November 2, and will be carried out reflecting the on-site conditions and facility-specific situations, including on-site vaccinations and visits to homeless shelters and jjokbang residents. It will be conducted through on-site vaccinations at Seoul Station and Yeongdeungpo (24 locations), visiting vaccinations where medical staff go to facilities (7 locations), and vaccinations using contracted doctors and cooperating hospitals at facilities (7 locations).

In particular, on the 18th and 19th at the Seoul Station site (Seoul Station Hope Support Center) and on the 25th at the Yeongdeungpo site (Yeongdeungpo Bohyeon Homeless Comprehensive Support Center), large-scale vaccinations will be conducted targeting a total of 24 facility users and street homeless people.

The Seoul Sharing Medical Volunteer Group, Doctors in Action, the Municipal Dasiseogi Homeless Comprehensive Support Center, the Municipal Yeongdeungpo Bohyeon Homeless Comprehensive Support Center, and other related organizations cooperate to support the overall operation of the vaccination event, with Sanofi sponsoring the vaccines. Sanofi has been supporting flu vaccines annually since 2011, and until 2021, 36,207 homeless people and jjokbang residents have benefited.

After this flu vaccination, the Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to provide additional vaccinations to unvaccinated homeless people and jjokbang residents until the remaining vaccines are used up at the Seoul Station Homeless Free Clinic.

Kim Sang-han, Director of Welfare Policy at Seoul City, said, “We thank Sanofi, the Sharing Medical Volunteer Group, and volunteers from related organizations who have supported our marginalized neighbors wholeheartedly again this year,” and added, “Thanks to the cooperation and efforts of the private sector practicing companionship with the vulnerable, all homeless people and jjokbang residents in Seoul will have a warm and healthy winter.”

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