Gwangju City Supports 'Emergency Care Service' to Minimize Care Gaps for Vulnerable Groups

Gwangju City Hall

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Seon-gang] Gwangju Metropolitan City announced on the 14th that it will support the ‘Emergency Care Service’ to minimize care gaps for vulnerable groups due to the recent spread of COVID-19 infections.

The Emergency Care Service is a service in which the Social Service Center dispatches care personnel when it is difficult for existing care providers to offer services due to infectious disease confirmation or self-quarantine.

Since the 27th of last month until the 13th, Gwangju has seen a rapid increase in COVID-19 confirmed cases, reaching 136 in the region.

Additionally, as many nursing hospital workers and elderly residents are included, the possibility of care service gaps has increased. Therefore, recognizing the need to establish an emergency care response system at the regional level, on the 8th, a meeting with care service support organizations was held to prepare a plan to operate an ‘Emergency Care Support Team’ centered on the Gwangju Social Service Center.

The Emergency Care Service targets vulnerable groups such as children, elderly, and disabled individuals who require urgent care due to the closure of existing care institutions, shortage of care personnel, or situations such as caregiver quarantine, self-quarantine, or hospital admission of care recipients.

Services provided include assistance with meals and cleaning for daily living support, support for outdoor activities such as shopping and proxy receipt of medicines, and accompanying patients to isolation facilities or hospitals to assist with meals, dressing, and undressing for internal living support.

The Gwangju Social Service Center has formed and operates the ‘Emergency Care Support Team’ with about 30 experienced personnel including care workers, disability activity supporters, childcare teachers, and caregivers, and plans to recruit participants starting from the 15th.

Applications can be submitted via email or fax to the person in charge at the Gwangju Social Service Center. For more details, inquiries can be made to the city’s Social Welfare Division.

Before recruiting the support team, connections will be made with existing private care institutions, and once the team is recruited, they plan to link with care recipients.

Ryu Mi-su, head of the city’s Social Welfare Division, said, “When COVID-19 cases surged in Daegu in February and March, the Daegu Social Service Center operated an emergency care system which was very helpful,” and added, “Gwangju City will also spare no support so that the Gwangju Social Service Center can play a major role in minimizing care gaps.”