Gyeonggi Province will pilot an annual caregiving expense support program of 1.2 million KRW for seniors aged 65 and older starting next year.
On the 27th, Gyeonggi Province announced plans to launch the Caregiving SOS Support Project as a pilot program from next year to urge the national government to establish a caregiving support system. Governor Kim Dong-yeon previously stated that the "Gyeonggi Province Caregiving SOS Support" project would be promoted as one of the new initiatives in the latter half of his term.
The support targets low-income seniors aged 65 and above in the province who have been hospitalized in medical institutions at the hospital level or higher due to injury or illness and have received caregiving services.
Starting in 2025, up to 1.2 million KRW per person annually will be provided, which corresponds to 60 days of caregiving expenses based on a 20,000 KRW daily rate for a six-person shared hospital room. Gyeonggi Province is the first metropolitan local government nationwide to directly support caregiving expenses to the patient.
To implement this project, Gyeonggi Province will conduct a demand survey across 31 cities and counties within the province and hold a policy forum in October to explore ways to improve caregiving services.
The forum will cover topics such as ▲measures to train professional personnel to resolve the shortage of caregivers ▲caregiver management systems and ways to enhance service quality ▲protection of caregivers’ rights through standard employment contracts ▲establishment of a caregiving demand and supply matching system ▲and other discussions aimed at advancing caregiving services.
This policy is a response to the rapidly aging population, which has led to a continuous increase in caregiving demand and costs, thereby increasing the burden on low-income seniors.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, annual private caregiving expenses exceeded 8 trillion KRW in 2018 and are expected to surpass 10 trillion KRW by 2025. The average daily caregiving cost borne by patients reaches 127,000 KRW.
Lee Eun-sook, Director of the Senior Welfare Division of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "According to the 2020 Ministry of Health and Welfare survey on the elderly, the lower the income level of seniors, the more likely they need caregiving. This is why the province has stepped forward to support caregiving expenses for low-income seniors." She added, "We expect this to help maintain the dignity of low-income elderly patients while providing caregivers with opportunities for rest and recovery of daily life."
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