Gyeonggi-do Allocates 2.9 Billion KRW This Year to Support Patients Discontinuing Psychiatric Treatment

Consultation Related to Mental Illness

Gyeonggi Province is investing a total of 2.9 billion KRW this year to carry out the ‘Mind Health Care’ project aimed at early detection of mental illnesses and reducing the financial burden of treatment.

Mind Health Care was introduced by Gyeonggi Province in 2019 after Professor Im Se-won, a psychiatrist, was fatally stabbed by a patient during treatment, highlighting the need for management of patients who discontinue psychiatric treatment. Last year, Gyeonggi Province supported over 9,000 people with 2.2 billion KRW.

The main support programs include ▲up to 400,000 KRW per year for ‘initial diagnosis fees’ such as examination and consultation fees for psychiatric diagnosis ▲up to 360,000 KRW per year for outpatient treatment fees for mental illnesses ▲emergency and administrative hospitalization fees ▲partial out-of-pocket treatment costs for mental illness patients approved for outpatient treatment.

Eligibility criteria such as income limits, diagnosis codes, and support amounts vary by support category, with a total budget of 2.9 billion KRW for this year.

Those who receive treatment cost support are registered and managed at each city and county mental health welfare center to ensure continuous counseling and treatment.

Applications and inquiries for mental illness treatment cost support can be detailed through the mental health welfare center in the applicant’s jurisdiction. The mental health welfare centers operate various programs such as psychological support and mental health programs to promote the mental well-being of residents. A crisis counseling hotline (109 or 1577-0199) is also operated 24 hours a day to respond to mental health emergencies.

Yu Young-cheol, Director of the Health and Wellness Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "We expect that through the mental illness treatment cost support project, residents in need of treatment will be able to receive appropriate and continuous care early on, and we plan to continue promoting this project in the future."

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