On the 14th, announced the 'National Responsibility System for Mental Health' pledge via Facebook
Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, is attending the Central Election Countermeasures Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 13th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@
[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Boryeong] Ahn Cheol-soo, the presidential candidate of the People’s Party, has proposed a “National Responsibility System for Mental Health” as part of his campaign promises. In particular, he announced plans to transfer the authority for involuntary hospitalization from local government heads to an expert committee, targeting Lee Jae-myung, the presidential candidate of the Democratic Party of Korea.
On the 14th, Candidate Ahn stated on Facebook, “We will implement a National Responsibility System for Mental Health.”
First, the authority for involuntary hospitalization, which was previously held by local government heads, will be transferred to an expert committee. Candidate Ahn said, “Current Articles 43 and 44 of the Mental Health Act stipulate involuntary hospitalization not only by guardians but also by provincial governors, mayors, county heads, and district chiefs. However, these regulations reflect an outdated way of thinking, and it is appropriate for experts to make such decisions. We will have a separate expert committee determine the necessity of hospitalization.”
This is interpreted as a direct criticism of Candidate Lee. During his tenure as mayor of Seongnam, Lee was suspected of exerting influence over the Seongnam city government and Bundang district health center to forcibly hospitalize his late older brother, Lee Jae-seon, in a psychiatric hospital. Lawyer Jang Young-ha, author of “Goodbye, Lee Jae-myung,” held a press conference the day before to raise the issue again and disclosed the testimony of the head of the Bundang district health center. Lee was indicted on charges of abuse of authority and obstruction of rights related to this case but was acquitted by the Supreme Court in 2020.
Candidate Ahn also plans to cover 90% of mental health medical expenses through health insurance and implement a cap on out-of-pocket expenses. He stated, “For patients with high-risk factors such as schizophrenia, we will support emergency medical expenses for prompt treatment. Even considering support for emergency medical expenses, we expect the cost to be manageable within approximately 500 billion won.”
He also provided detailed explanations regarding the budget. Candidate Ahn said, “As of 2020, the total medical expenses for mental illnesses amounted to 2.3327 trillion won, of which 75.2%, or 1.7542 trillion won, was borne by the National Health Insurance Service. Increasing the insurance coverage rate to 90% would incur an additional cost of 345.2 billion won. Furthermore, considering the 8.7% increase in mental illness medical expenses over the past three years, the total medical expenses for 2022 would be 2.7562 trillion won with an additional 407.9 billion won, and for 2023, 2.996 trillion won with an additional 443.4 billion won would be required.”
Mental health screening will also be added to the national health examination for all citizens. He cited Denmark as an example, where mental health screening is conducted during national health checkups and high-risk groups for depression are linked to local treatment. Candidate Ahn said, “We should also add mental health screening to the national health examination to reduce social costs through prevention and early treatment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020, investing one dollar in mental health yields five dollars in health and productivity benefits.”
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