Ruling Party and Government Support the Establishment of a Lou Gehrig's Disease Care Hospital

Policy Meeting Held to Strengthen Support for Treatment of Severe and Rare Diseases

On the morning of the 21st, at a policy meeting held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, to strengthen support for the treatment of severe and rare diseases, Seong Il-jong, Chairman of the Policy Committee of the People Power Party (fourth from the right), and Sean, singer and co-representative of the Seungil Hope Foundation (third from the right), along with other attendees, are posing for a commemorative photo. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] On the 21st, the People Power Party and the government decided to support the Seungil Hope Foundation's project to build a 'nursing hospital for ALS patients.' The Seungil Hope Foundation is co-led by singer Sean.

The party and government announced this decision after holding a 'Policy Meeting to Strengthen Support for Treatment of Severe and Rare Diseases' at the National Assembly on the morning of the same day.

After budget consultations, the party and government agreed to support the foundation's nursing hospital construction as part of the 'Rare Disease Treatment and Nursing Hospital Pilot Project.'

Sung Il-jong, chairman of the People Power Party's Policy Committee, said, "Although there have been various welfare systems and supports, it is true that national care for this particular area has been neglected," adding, "The government will support the hospital construction."

Regarding the specific scale of support, Chairman Sung explained, "The required amount, including construction costs, is about 12 billion KRW," and added, "The government will provide support over the course of last year."

In addition, Chairman Sung conveyed that he requested the government to "expand diagnosis and treatment support for rare disease patients to their families, considering genetic factors, and to promptly complete the supplementation of the health insurance system related to rare diseases."

In his greeting at the meeting, Sean said, "Since 2011, the Seungil Hope Foundation has been raising funds to build a nursing hospital for ALS and patients with severe and rare diseases," but added, "However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation over the past three years, labor and raw material costs have risen sharply, and donations have rapidly decreased, causing difficulties."

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