Eunpyeong Hospital in Seoul and Icheon Somang Hospital in Gyeonggi Designated as Regional Drug Addiction Treatment and Protection Institutions

Ministry of Health and Welfare Expands to 11 Regional Institutions Nationwide

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on April 28 that it has designated two additional hospitals—Eunpyeong Hospital in Seoul and Icheon Somang Hospital in Gyeonggi Province—as "regional treatment and protection institutions" to expand the infrastructure for drug addiction treatment in local communities.

As a result, the total number of regional treatment and protection institutions in Korea has increased to 11.

Treatment and protection institutions are designated under Article 40 of the Narcotics Control Act to assess whether a person is addicted to narcotics or to provide treatment and protection for individuals identified as drug addicts. Among these, the Ministry of Health and Welfare separately designates institutions that are actively engaged in drug addiction treatment or play a central role in their region as regional treatment and protection institutions, providing each with 100 million won in operational funding.

The Ministry plans to further strengthen drug addiction treatment capabilities by expanding regional treatment and protection institutions and training around 80 specialized professionals, such as mental health nurses and mental health social workers, by the end of this year.

Drug addiction is more challenging to manage and treat compared to other mental health disorders, yet support for medical institutions and medical staff has been insufficient. This has led to low participation by institutions in practical programs and a concentration of treatment at only a few facilities. In response, the government has worked to strengthen its overall response system—including investigation and enforcement, treatment and rehabilitation, and prevention and education—by holding the Narcotics Countermeasures Council under the Office for Government Policy Coordination in February, followed by a meeting of relevant ministers led by the Prime Minister on April 17.

Lee Sunyoung, Director of Mental Health Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "By designating additional regional institutions in the Seoul metropolitan area, where treatment demand is high, we expect to improve access to care for drug addicts." She added, "In line with the government-wide response, we will do our best to promote treatment and protection so that individuals struggling with drug addiction can return to healthy daily lives."

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