A long-term care home medical center supporting the elderly who have difficulty moving to receive necessary medical and local care services at home will increase from 135 to 195 nationwide in the second half of this year (July to December).
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 6th that it has designated 60 additional medical institutions through the pilot project for long-term care home medical centers. The project initially started with 28 locations on December 2022, and the number of participating institutions has significantly increased.
Long-term care home medical centers provide home medical services by having medical staff visit the homes of patients who have difficulty moving. A doctor visits once a month, and a nurse visits twice a month to develop a treatment plan that comprehensively considers the patient's health status, living environment, and treatment needs. Additionally, they connect community resources, such as housing, nutrition, and care services, and provide regular consultations.
The number of local governments with long-term care home medical centers has increased to 113 cities, counties, and districts. Local medical centers in four areas, including Seosan, Daegu Seogu, Gangwon's Gangneung City and Yeongwol County, and Chungnam's Seosan, which previously did not have long-term care home medical centers, have been newly designated through this application process. Thus, the total number of designated local medical centers for long-term care home medical services is now 17.
Im Eul-ki, Director of Senior Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, noted, "To expand the medical and care linkage infrastructure in local communities following the implementation of the integrated care support law next year, we plan to continuously increase the number of participating regions and medical institutions in long-term care home medical centers."