Gwangjin-gu Provides Up to 1 Million Won Support for Families Using Postpartum Care Helpers

[Seoul District News] Gwangjin-gu to Abolish Income Criteria from Next Year, Support Up to 1 Million KRW for Postpartum Care Service Users at Home through Maternal and Newborn Health Management Service & Application for Postpartum Health Care Expenses within 60 Days after Using Maternal and Newborn Health Management Service... Jongno-gu Builds Robust Health Care Network for Residents with 'Regional Care Centers' and 'Health-i-rang Service'... Seongdong-gu Establishes 'Smart Civil Petition Form Assistant' Service

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) announced that starting next year, it will abolish income criteria and provide up to 1 million KRW in postpartum health care expenses to all pregnant women in the area using maternal and newborn health care services.

The district has been supporting 90% of the out-of-pocket expenses for maternal and newborn health care services, where postpartum helpers (health managers) visit homes to provide postpartum care services such as meal management for mothers and newborn care.

Until this year, the support condition for postpartum health care expenses was limited to households residing continuously in Gwangjin-gu for six months prior to the birth date and with household income at or below 150% of the median income.

However, from January 1 next year, mothers giving birth will be eligible for postpartum health care expense support without income restrictions, as long as they meet the residency condition of living in Gwangjin-gu for six months prior to the birth date.

The postpartum health care expense covers 90% of the out-of-pocket costs for maternal and newborn health care services, with a maximum payment of 1 million KRW if the out-of-pocket amount exceeds that.

Applicants can receive reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses by applying to the Gwangjin-gu Public Health Center within 60 days after the completion of maternal and newborn health care services.

In addition, Gwangjin-gu provides a 2 million KRW voucher called the ‘First Meeting Use Voucher’ to all childbirth families, and additionally supports childbirth congratulatory money of 1 million KRW for the third child, 2 million KRW for the fourth child, and 3 million KRW for the fifth child and beyond.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “We hope that support for postpartum health care expenses and childbirth congratulatory money will reduce the economic burden on families giving birth in the area and provide practical help. We will continue to improve the birth and childcare environment in terms of housing, infrastructure, and education to make Gwangjin-gu a great place to have and raise children.”

Jongno-gu (Mayor Jeong Moon-heon) has planned the ‘Health-i-rang Service’ with the start of the 8th elected term and has been working since last month to establish a solid health care system for residents.

Previously, the district divided the area into five zones considering the characteristics of each neighborhood, health statistics, and living areas, and opened health care centers in zones 1 to 5.

Until now, residents had to visit multiple facilities individually for checkups or consultations, but now they can receive the Health-i-rang Service, which contributes to resident health care, at one nearby zonal center. The service focuses on personalized care by professional medical staff in areas such as dementia, mental health, metabolism, nutrition, exercise, and home visits, prioritizing residents aged 65 and older living alone or in two-person households.

By the end of this month, before the full launch of the service, the district is conducting basic tests such as blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, and lifestyle habit surveys to assess individual health levels and needs. Based on the results, residents will be classified into ‘intensive care,’ ‘high risk,’ ‘risk group,’ and ‘preventive care’ categories, with visit frequencies set accordingly.

For example, Mr. Lee (80), who visited the Zone 2 center, suffers from hypertension and myocardial infarction. In coordination with the Care SOS Center, hospital visit accompaniment services are provided, and considering he lives alone and has difficulty managing meals, food support has been arranged.

Also, Mr. Jeon (60), who visited the Zone 4 center, will receive weekly regular lunchbox delivery services to ease his food expenses due to economic difficulties. Low-income households are guided to apply next month for implant medical expenses, and emergency medical support is provided. Additionally, by downloading the Seoul Salpini app, if there is no phone usage for a certain period, the local community center staff will be linked to respond in emergencies. The hospital accompaniment service will also be increased from once a week to twice a week.

Mayor Jeong Moon-heon said, “We have deployed about 80 professionals across five health care centers to provide personalized health care services in dementia, mental health, metabolism, and more, striving to protect residents’ physical and mental health. We hope more residents will receive effective care through the Health-i-rang Service and improve their quality of life.”

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeon Won-oh) announced that its ‘Smart Civil Petition Form Writing Assistant Service Project’ has been selected for the second consecutive year in the 2023 Advanced Information Technology Utilization Public Service Promotion Contest hosted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, receiving a total of 1.1 billion KRW in national funding.

In line with the enforcement of the Disability Discrimination Act in 2023, Seongdong-gu plans to introduce and expand the nation’s first barrier-free unmanned terminals (kiosks) that consider information-vulnerable groups such as visually, hearing, and physically impaired persons, as well as the elderly. (Photo)

The ‘Smart Civil Petition Form Writing Assistant Service’ promoted by the district allows civil petitioners to fill out forms using unmanned terminals (kiosks) instead of traditional paper forms. When filling out forms, personal information such as name and address is automatically entered using public data. The kiosk enables voice and touch input and submission, shortening the form completion time and preventing input errors such as typos and mistakes through smart technology.

Notably, the service features a digital tactile map with real-time braille modules and screen reader technology for the visually impaired, sign language video utilization for the hearing impaired, lower placement for wheelchair users, and large fonts and magnifier functions for the visually impaired and elderly, making it convenient for information-vulnerable groups.

Starting January 9 next year, the district will pilot the service at the Seongdong-gu Civil Petition and Passport Division, and the Oksoo-dong, Seongsu 1-ga 2-dong, Wangsimni 2-dong, and Sageun-dong community centers. In the second half of the year, it plans to expand to all 17 community centers in Seongdong-gu. Additionally, it will develop more civil petition types, smart pad forms that allow correction of typos and mistakes, and a Seongdong-gu tourism map.

Mayor Jeon Won-oh said, “We hope the expansion of Seongdong-gu’s Smart Civil Petition Form Writing Assistant Service Project will become a standard model for information-vulnerable groups. We will do our best to create a smart inclusive city where no one is left behind and everyone can equally enjoy digital administrative services.”

◆ Seongdong-gu ▲Culture and Sports Division Moon Gwang-seon ▲Safety Management Division Eo Yong-gyeong ▲General Affairs Division Park Soo-young ▲General Affairs Division Lee Deok-yoon ▲General Affairs Division Jang Seon-im ▲Planning and Budget Division Lee Jin-ah ▲Senior and Disabled Welfare Division Kim Jae-gon

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