Ministry of Health and Welfare Encourages Nationwide Public Institutions to Prioritize Purchasing Products Made by Persons with Severe Disabilities

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 22nd that it will conduct regional training sessions to encourage the purchase of products made at 'Severe Disability Product Manufacturing Facilities' by public institutions across 17 cities and provinces nationwide.

'Priority Purchase of Products Made by Persons with Severe Disabilities' is a system that mandates public institutions to prioritize purchasing products made by persons with severe disabilities for at least 1% of their total purchase amount. To support vocational rehabilitation and economic independence of persons with disabilities, 790 severe disability product manufacturing facilities (as of December 2023) are currently operating under the 'Special Act on Priority Purchase of Products Made by Persons with Severe Disabilities,' employing approximately 17,000 persons with disabilities.

This training is targeted at purchasing officers of public institutions such as national agencies, local governments, and public enterprises. Last year, a total of 2,767 officers from 732 institutions participated in the training.

The training will begin on the 23rd of this month in Sejong and Jeonnam and conclude on February 14th in Busan. Seoul, where many public institutions are concentrated, will hold sessions over two days on the 24th and 31st of this month. Product exhibitions and promotions will also be held to allow purchasing officers to directly see and decide on purchasing products made by persons with severe disabilities.

Hwang Seung-hyun, Director of the Disability Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "Active interest and efforts from the government and public institutions regarding the priority purchase system for products made by persons with severe disabilities are crucial for stable jobs and income security for persons with disabilities. We will further expand guidance and training to encourage public institutions to feel a public responsibility toward socially vulnerable persons with disabilities and actively purchase products made by persons with severe disabilities."

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