Gwangju City Takes Action to Eliminate Medical Blind Spots for Foreign Residents

Medical and Medication Services for Foreign Workers and International Students
Support for Medication Costs Provided to Non-Profit Medical Volunteer Organizations and Groups

Photo material from Gwangju Migrant Health Center. Provided by Gwangju City.

Gwangju City is focusing on eliminating medical blind spots by providing free medical services and medical interpretation support for foreign residents.

According to the city on the 21st, it is supporting operating expenses, including medication costs, as well as medical interpretation services for non-profit organizations and groups that provide medical volunteer services to foreign residents.

Currently, there are two non-profit organizations and groups operating free clinics for foreign residents in Gwangju: the Gwangju Migrant Health Center and the Gwangju Koryoin Medical Clinic. The clinics offer specialties such as orthopedics, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, dentistry, and Korean traditional medicine, with volunteer medical professionals, university students in health-related fields, and sponsors participating. In addition, there is the Bridge Medical Association, a group that conducts quarterly on-campus medical visits for foreign students and others.

The city is allocating 85 million won from the municipal budget to these three non-profit organizations and groups to support operating expenses, including medication costs, and medical interpretation services. Primary care, health consultations, physical therapy, and medication services are provided to foreign workers, overseas Koreans (including Koryoin), and international students who face difficulties in receiving treatment due to lack or loss of health insurance, communication barriers, and financial hardship. If further examination is needed after primary care, patients are referred to clinics or hospitals to ensure systematic health management.

Specialized medical interpretation services are also provided to assist foreign resident patients who have difficulty communicating due to limited Korean language skills. These efforts are expected to not only improve access to medical services for foreign residents who face economic, language, and time constraints, but also help them settle stably in the local community.

Joo Sanghyun, head of the Foreign Residents Division, stated, "We will actively support foreign residents in medical blind spots within the local community so they can receive basic medical services in a timely manner without difficulty."

Meanwhile, the Gwangju Migrant Health Center is available every Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the Gwangju Koryoin Medical Clinic is open every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Bridge Medical Association plans to conduct on-campus medical visits at Chonnam National University, Chosun University, and other locations this year; for detailed schedules, please contact the organization directly.

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