Seongdong-gu 'Hyosarang Health Primary Care' Project Wins UN Public Administration Award, the Nobel Prize of Public Administration

Seongdong-gu's Unique Age-Friendly Policy Recognized Globally, Only Domestic Winner in 2020 Awards

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jeong Won-oh)'s 'Hyo Sarang Health Primary Care Physician' project has been honored with the prestigious 'UN Public Service Awards (UNPSA),' the world's highest accolade in the field of public administration.

The 'UN Public Service Awards,' jointly organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) and UN Women, was established in 2003 to raise awareness of the importance of public administration, discover and disseminate innovative policies, and promote improvements in public administration worldwide.

The award is often called the Nobel Prize of public administration, as it is given to only one country per continent in each of the five categories after three rigorous rounds of evaluation of policies submitted from five continents worldwide.

Seongdong-gu submitted its application in November last year, and among them, the ‘Hyo Sarang Health Primary Care Physician (HYO Policy)’ was selected as an outstanding policy representing the world in the Asia-Pacific region in the category of ‘Inclusive and Equitable Service Delivery.’

The ‘Hyo Sarang Health Primary Care Physician’ project has attracted attention as a policy tailored to Korea’s unique cultural characteristics, which are rarely found in other cultural contexts. It is a proactive medical welfare service where doctors and nurses visit the homes of elderly people aged 75 and older, who find it difficult to manage their own health, providing health management and supporting disease control, dementia and depression assessments, and medical expenses through public-private cooperation. The service is provided to 37% (6,983 people) of seniors aged 75 and above, with 95% of participants expressing high satisfaction.

The district focused on the emergence of medical blind spots for seniors aged 75 and older due to the increase in complex chronic diseases and medical expenses associated with population aging. To provide customized public medical services, health connection centers were established in all 17 neighborhood community centers, and in September 2017, the ‘Hyo Sarang Primary Care Physician’ system was introduced nationwide for the first time.

Since 2019, the program has expanded to include ‘post-discharge patient management’ through agreements with local medical institutions such as Hanyang University Hospital.

Recently, efforts have been accelerated to implement a ‘Smart Health Care Service’ to prevent loneliness in elderly people living alone by distributing AI speakers and motion-recognition smart sensors using the Internet of Things (IoT), providing 24-hour care.

Jeong Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Our district’s diverse and innovative policies have given pride and inspiration to residents and have had a positive impact worldwide. This award is especially meaningful as it presents the direction of public administration toward the future society at a time when Korea is enhancing its national status through COVID-19 response.”

He added, “It has been an honorable opportunity to introduce the name of a Korean local government, ‘Seongdong-gu,’ to 193 UN member countries. Going forward, all 1,300 Seongdong-gu employees, including myself, will do their best to improve residents’ safety, health, and quality of life.”