The Ministry of Health and Welfare (Minister Jung Eun-kyeong) held a public forum titled “Direction for Advancing Medical Care Reform at Nursing Hospitals and Institutionalizing Caregiving Services” at 10 a.m. on July 28 in the Grand Ballroom of the Royal Hotel Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul. The forum was organized to discuss, together with the medical community, patient organizations, experts and the press, policy directions centered on redefining the role of nursing hospitals toward medical-focused care and turning caregiving into a covered benefit, while also gathering feedback from the field. At the event, the ministry shared the results of domestic and international fact-finding surveys along with detailed implementation plans, moving forward in earnest with institutionalization work aimed at applying caregiving benefits starting in the first half of next year.
 [코리안투데이] Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Health and Welfare © 송정숙 기자 |
Since first unveiling its “Direction for Advancing Medical-Focused Nursing Hospital Reform and Caregiving Benefit Coverage (Draft)” through a National Assembly forum and public hearing last September, the ministry has steadily gathered opinions through expert advisory meetings and on-site discussions. Nursing hospitals have repeatedly come under criticism for long-term admissions of patients with low medical need and for the burden of caregiving placed on families, making this forum significant as an occasion to synthesize the discussions held so far and refine concrete plans for institutionalization.
The event proceeded with presentations analyzing the domestic and international fact-finding surveys on medical care and caregiving at nursing hospitals and outlining the direction for institutionalization, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A session involving related organizations such as the Korean Association of Geriatric Hospitals, the Korean Nurses Association and the Korea Patient Alliance Federation, along with academic experts and members of the press. The panel discussion featured in-depth debate on the adequacy of criteria for designating medical-focused nursing hospitals, standards for selecting patients eligible for caregiving benefits and plans for phased expansion, measures for redefining the function of nursing hospitals, appropriate caregiving reimbursement rates and patient co-payment ratios to ease the public’s caregiving cost burden, ways to secure and manage a quality caregiving workforce, and measures to strengthen the connection between socially hospitalized patients and community-based integrated care.
The ministry said it will continue to gather feedback from the field, finalize the institutionalization plan through the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee by the end of this year, and apply caregiving benefits starting in the first half of next year. Once caregiving benefits are introduced, part of the caregiving costs that have until now been borne entirely by patients and their families will be supported through the national health insurance system, raising expectations that it could meaningfully ease the burden on households caring for elderly patients with severe conditions.
Second Vice Minister Lee Hyung-hoon said, “Through this forum, we will listen closely to the views of medical staff on the front lines, experts and the public, and do our utmost to implement field-centered policies to build nursing hospitals where elderly patients with severe conditions can receive care with peace of mind and where families and caregivers can trust their loved ones will be well looked after.” The government plans to refine detailed standards by incorporating the opinions raised at this forum, drawing attention to the institutionalization plan that will eventually be finalized.
As the population ages at an accelerating pace, long-term hospitalization at nursing hospitals and the burden of caregiving costs have long been cited as a recurring social challenge. The opinions raised at this forum are expected to be reflected in the deliberation process of the Health Insurance Policy Deliberation Committee, and further coordination over detailed standards is expected to continue before the shift to medical-focused nursing hospitals and the introduction of caregiving benefits are fully settled in the field.송정숙 기자 (한국통합치유협회장) | gangseo@thekoreantoday.com
 |
 |
<저작권자 ⓒ 코리안투데이(The Korean Today) 무단전재 및 재배포 금지>
