Candidate Yibong Lee's First Medical Welfare Pledge: "Fostering Dementia-Safe Cities"

Lee Yong-bin, preliminary candidate for the National Assembly representing Gwangsan-gap, Gwangju Metropolitan City, Democratic Party of Korea

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Lee Yong-bin, the preliminary candidate for the National Assembly representing Gwangsan-gu Gap, Gwangju Metropolitan City from the Democratic Party of Korea, announced on the 27th his first medical welfare pledge: the development of a ‘Gwangsan-gu Dementia Safety City’ (Health Special Zone).

Preliminary candidate Lee said, “With the increase in the elderly population, the number of dementia patients has also risen significantly, causing suffering not only for the patients but also for their families,” and added, “Considering the characteristics of a mixed urban-rural city, I will develop Gwangsan-gu into the nation’s top dementia safety city.”

He continued, “According to statistical data, about 5-10% of the population aged 65 and over and 20-30% of those in their 80s suffer from dementia. As we enter an aging society, dementia has emerged as a serious social issue,” and explained, “Among the 405,315 residents of Gwangsan-gu (as of 2019), 13.6% or 55,092 are seniors aged 60 and above, making dementia countermeasures urgently needed.”

He stated, “The current dementia safety centers are severely understaffed in terms of specialized personnel compared to the dementia population,” and emphasized, “To address this, the Regional Health Act should be amended to expand and strengthen the deployment of specialized personnel so that the state can continuously take responsibility for dementia.”

To foster the ‘Gwangsan-gu Dementia Safety City,’ candidate Lee proposed ▲amendment of the Regional Health Act ▲establishment of dementia safety hospitals ▲expansion of dementia specialized care centers ▲expansion of dementia day and night care facilities ▲paid leave for families of dementia patients.

Candidate Lee promised, “For over 20 years, I have served as a primary care physician for the elderly and village doctor in Gwangsan-gu, deeply understanding the suffering of dementia patients and their families,” and pledged, “I will develop Gwangsan-gu into the nation’s best dementia integrated management system-equipped dementia safety city, making it a safe and healthy ‘Health Special Zone’ free from dementia.”