보건복지부 영문홈페이지

Minister Cho KyooHong Visits the Urgent Center for People with Developmental Disabilities

- Onsite visit of the key tasks for the first anniversary of the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration -

 - The first urgent care center for people with developmental disabilities opened -

On Monday, May 8, at 2 p.m., Cho KyooHong, Minister of Health and Welfare, visited the inaugural urgent care center for people with developmental disabilities (in Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do), the first such center opened in Korea, to see how the care service is taking place and meet the families of people with developmental disabilities, as well as Vice Governor for Administrative Affairs of Chungcheongnam-do, the President of the Korea Disabled People’s Development Institute (KoDDI), and the head and employees of the care service program providers.

The visit came on the first anniversary of the Yoon Suk Yeol Administration to check the progress of the implementation tasks undertaken to promote the welfare of the socially disadvantaged and boost the morale of people working at the forefront of innovating social services.

The urgent care service program for people with developmental disabilities was launched this year. It is available to people with developmental disabilities for up to seven days in case of emergencies of their guardian, including medical conditions that require their guardian to be hospitalized, major family events, and physical and psychological exhaustion.

Under the program, people with developmental disabilities who need urgent care will be provided with 24-hour urgent care services with daytime activities and nighttime care based on the needs of the individual in an environment similar to home.

In 2023, the program’s first year, 34 centers (17 centers for male and female users, respectively) will be opened in phases in different regions nationwide.

Starting in March this year, 17 Si and Do have made public announcements to receive candidate applications for the urgent emergency care center, and 14 of them, including Chungcheongnam-do and Daejeon Metropolitan City, have finished the selection of their urgent care providers. These 14 Si and Do have started conducting a pilot program by building infrastructure, conducting demand surveys, and launching publicity campaigns, with a full-fledged program set to begin in May.

By successfully securing a space for the center and recruiting and training urgent caregivers, Chungcheongnam-do has opened the first emergency care center in the country to provide emergency care services for people with developmental disabilities.

The opening ceremony included a signboard presentation and a tour of the living quarters for male and female users and the office, followed by a meeting.

Minister Cho said, “The government will ensure that the 24-hour urgent care service meets the immediate needs of people with developmental disabilities and their families and becomes a full-fledged service after the pilot program.”

If you are interested in using the urgent care service, you can make a reservation on the National Center for Disabled Children and Developmental Disabilities website (www. broso.or.kr) to apply for the service. Once your application is accepted, you can use the urgent care center for people with developmental disabilities.

 * National Center for Disabled Children and Developmental Disabilities: www.broso.or.kr