Gwangju Seo-gu Hosts Vision Forum for 'National Expansion of Integrated Care' Preparation

Published 05 Dec.2023 15:17(KST)

Seo-gu, Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kim Ikang) announced on the 5th that it held a vision forum at the Deulbul Hall of Seo-gu Office to discuss the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s integrated support for elderly medical care and caregiving, as well as the policy direction of Gwangju-style integrated care, aimed at establishing a standard model in preparation for the nationwide expansion of integrated care by 2026.

Seogu held a Vision Forum on Nationwide Integrated Care Preparation on the 5th at Deulbul Hall in Seogu Office. <br>[Photo by Seogu]

Seogu held a Vision Forum on Nationwide Integrated Care Preparation on the 5th at Deulbul Hall in Seogu Office.
[Photo by Seogu]

The forum, attended by about 100 people including members of the Seo-gu Integrated Care Council, service providers, and partner organizations, featured heated discussions with diverse opinions from various sectors to create a nationwide model for integrated care.

In the first part of the forum, presentations were made on ▲Policy direction for integrated support of elderly medical care and caregiving (Ministry of Health and Welfare official Gu Jaegwan) ▲Policy direction of Gwangju-style integrated care (Gwangju City Hall official Kim Kyungmyung) ▲Seo-gu’s integrated care promotion direction (Seo-gu Office Smart Integrated Care Officer Yoon Jongsung).

Seo-gu was evaluated for proposing a standard model combining Gwangju-style integrated care and the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s medical and caregiving integrated support based on its five years of experience and know-how in integrated care.

The second part, moderated by Professor Lee Jungkyu (former Department of Social Welfare, Honam University), included keynote presentations by Professor Kim Sookjung (Department of Nursing, Gwangju Health University), Senior Researcher Park Hyunkyung (National Health Insurance Service Integrated Care Research Center), and Researcher Jung Inkyung (Gwangju Social Service Institute Policy Research Office), followed by discussions and Q&A on the development plan for Seo-gu’s integrated care.

Since the second half of 2019, Seo-gu has been promoting integrated care pilot projects, and this year it is advancing the Gwangju-style integrated care and the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s pilot project for integrated support of elderly medical care and caregiving.

Additionally, Seo-gu established a dedicated organization for integrated care promotion and built a cooperative system with 90 institutions and professions across health, medical care, housing, welfare, and education sectors.

Seo-gu has built a unique caregiving city by launching the nation’s first home medical care center, establishing the only smart care service for the elderly nationwide, and implementing the largest number of smart care policies in the country, with its cases introduced at government and academic conferences.

Mayor Kim Ikang of Seo-gu said, “Since Seo-gu’s integrated care has reached the highest level nationwide, we will do our best to establish a standard model for nationwide expansion by 2026 based on the accumulated experience and know-how.”