'One-Stop Medical and Care Services for Discharged Patients'... Incheon City Partners with 10 Hospitals

by Park Haesook

Published 12 Mar.2026 10:56(KST)

On March 12, Incheon City signed a "work agreement to promote linkage between the community and discharged patients through integrated care" with 10 medical institutions in the Incheon region.

The agreement includes the participation of key institutions representing the public and private healthcare systems in the region, such as Gachon University Gil Medical Center, Inha University Hospital, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon Medical Center, Incheon Sejong Hospital, and Incheon Red Cross Hospital.

This agreement was established in response to rapid population aging and an increase in single-person households, as well as to prepare for the "integrated medical and care service project" scheduled to be implemented on March 27. The goal is to build a community care infrastructure so that discharged patients can spend their later years healthily in their own homes.

Participating institutions will assign staff within their hospitals to assess patients' health status and care needs before discharge and connect those who require community care to the appropriate local organizations.

The support targets are elderly people aged 65 and above and people with disabilities who need continued medical and care services after discharge due to severe chronic illnesses, fractures, falls, or a decline in daily living function.

Eligible individuals will receive integrated, customized services such as healthcare, daily living support, and housing, helping to prevent so-called "revolving door readmissions"-cases where patients return to the hospital because they cannot maintain daily life at home.

Yoo Jeongbok, Mayor of Incheon, stated, "This agreement marks the starting point for hospitals and the community to move forward as a unified medical, care, and integrated support community," and added, "We will combine the professional capabilities of medical institutions with Incheon City’s care resources to establish a robust health safety net."