Gwangyang-si Confirms Hosting Jeollanam-do Public Postpartum Care Center

Providing the Nation's Largest Maternity Rooms (40~53㎡)

Promoting the Construction of High-Quality Public Postpartum Care Centers, Smooth Progress in Building a 'Life Cycle Customized Platform'

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik] Gwangyang City in Jeollanam-do announced on the 31st that it has been selected as the final site for the ‘Jeollanam-do Public Postpartum Care Center Installation and Operation’ contest project.

The contest evaluation held on the 26th formed a selection committee to review site suitability, project promotion willingness, project plan appropriateness, accessibility, and specialized program areas, with Gwangyang City being selected as the priority project candidate with the highest score.

Accordingly, the city will receive 4 billion KRW for construction costs and 200 million KRW annually for operating expenses from Jeollanam-do.

The ‘Jeollanam-do Public Postpartum Care Center’ (hereafter ‘Public Postpartum Care Center’) has been established and operated in five locations including Haenam, Gangjin, Wando, Naju, and Suncheon since the first branch opened in September 2015, gaining high praise from mothers for its affordable costs and high-quality services.

The city plans to open the center in 2024 with a total project cost of 12.6 billion KRW (4 billion KRW from the province, 6 billion KRW from the city, and 2.6 billion KRW from private investment).

The Public Postpartum Care Center will be built on a site near Mirae Women’s Clinic in Jungmadong, with a four-story building covering a total floor area of 2,409㎡.

The first and second floors will operate 15 postpartum rooms as family rooms with the largest area (40?53㎡) compared to currently operating and planned public postpartum care centers nationwide, including a 53㎡ room for mothers with multiple births and a 53㎡ negative pressure room for infectious disease prevention.

The third floor will include various program and relaxation spaces such as a jjimjilbang (Korean sauna), sitz bath room, and education room, while the fourth floor will have a dining hall, caf?, a children’s playroom for newborn siblings, and the rooftop will feature a walking path and healing space decorated with planter interior design.

Mayor Jeong In-hwa of Gwangyang City pledged to establish a ‘life-cycle customized welfare platform’ from fetal health checkups to dementia prevention and treatment in old age, aiming to create a ‘tear-free society without blind spots’ during the 8th term of the elected administration.

For this purpose, the city has promoted the ‘establishment of a public postpartum care center’ as a campaign pledge, and on September 26, Gwangyang City, Gwangyang City Council, Mirae Women’s Clinic, Gwangyang City Women’s Association Council, and five other institutions and six organizations signed a joint business agreement to attract and support the operation of the Jeollanam-do Public Postpartum Care Center.

Jeong Hong-gi, Director of the Health Center, said, “We will build a differentiated, high-quality, nationwide top public postpartum care center in Gwangyang, the youngest city in Jeonnam, to alleviate the burden of childbirth and parenting and to focus on maternal protection and resolving the low birthrate issue.”

Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Heo Seon-sik hss79@asiae.co.kr

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