Kakao Mobility announced on the 30th that the Kakao Mobility Shared Foundation is partnering with the Children and Future Foundation and Bundang CHA Hospital to launch the 'Taxi Driver Medical Expense Relief Program.'
The Medical Expense Relief Program is the first initiative since the launch of the Shared Foundation in February. The foundation plans to actively continue its cooperative activities with mobility workers starting with this program.
According to Kakao Mobility, a tripartite memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed on the 29th at Bundang CHA Hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, with the Secretary-General Kim Soo of the Shared Foundation, Deputy Minister Kim Byeong-gi of the Children and Future Foundation, and Hospital Director Yoon Sang-wook of Bundang CHA Hospital in attendance. The hosting organization, the Shared Foundation, is establishing a fund of about 2.2 billion won for the program, while the Children and Future Foundation will operate it. Bundang CHA Hospital will support the overall project by promoting it and assisting in the recruitment of participants through case discovery and referrals, among other activities.
The Medical Expense Relief Program is an evolution and continuation of the Medical Livelihood Relief Program previously run by Kakao Mobility. At that time, there were over 25,000 inquiries, reflecting a high level of interest. Throughout 2023, a total of 564 taxi drivers and their families received medical welfare benefits.
This program focuses on providing medical expense relief, offering benefits to a greater number of participants in need of emergency medical funds. The initiative aims to protect the health rights and guarantee the job security of taxi drivers who incur medical expenses beyond their financial capacity due to illness or accidents. For taxi drivers currently employed or on leave due to injuries or illness with an income below 140% of the median, funding will cover personal costs, excluding private insurance coverage, up to a maximum of 10 million won per person. Applications will be continuously accepted via the Children and Future Foundation website from May 13 to December 11.
The Medical Expense Relief Program is the first initiative to be actively pursued since the launch of the Shared Foundation. Kakao Mobility revealed plans to establish the foundation last year with the aim of improving the welfare of mobility workers, including taxi drivers, and officially founded it after a preparation period in February this year.
The Shared Foundation will initially carry out ongoing shared projects, including the Medical Expense Relief Program and the Mobility Workers Honoree Awards (Road Heroes), which Kakao Mobility has operated. Additionally, it will engage in activities to establish an industrial ecosystem, such as advancing IT technology-based mobility industry development and enhancing welfare for service providers. Furthermore, to strengthen competitiveness in the mobility sector, it plans to conduct policy research and academic events for the development of the mobility industry, as well as new programs aimed at improving welfare for mobility workers and their families and creating safe working environments.
Chairman Ha Heon-gu of the Shared Foundation expressed gratitude to the Children and Future Foundation and Bundang CHA Hospital for participating in the Medical Expense Relief Program for taxi drivers, the first step following the launch of the Kakao Mobility Shared Foundation, and noted, "The Shared Foundation will use this program as an opportunity to develop various shared initiatives for mobility workers."