Students to Receive Up to 6 Million KRW for 'Corona Depression' Psychological Recovery... Vaccine Adverse Reaction Treatment Costs Also Covered

Promotion of Four Key Projects Including Psychological Recovery Support for Students Experiencing Mental Health Difficulties Such as COVID-19 Depression
Supplementary Medical Expense Payment for Adolescents with Severe Adverse Reactions to Vaccination

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Ministry of Education will provide up to 3 million KRW each for expert psychological support and medical treatment expenses to students experiencing mental health difficulties due to prolonged exposure to the COVID-19 situation. For students who experienced severe adverse reactions within 90 days after vaccination but were unable to receive national compensation due to difficulty in establishing causality, up to 5 million KRW will be provided as supplementary medical expenses.

On the 18th, the Ministry of Education announced the "Student Health Recovery Support Plan to Overcome COVID-19," which includes these measures. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye emphasized, "It is essential to support the psychological recovery of students struggling with mental health due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic," adding, "The government will do its best with a responsible attitude to alleviate the concerns of students and parents regarding vaccine side effects."

First, the Ministry of Education will provide medical services for psychological stabilization linked with psychiatric specialists to students confirmed with or recovered from COVID-19. The student suicide rate per 100,000 increased from 2.5 in 2019 to 2.7 in 2020 and 3.6 (provisional) in 2021. According to a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Education and the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association, over 120 psychiatrists will participate in providing these medical services.

For students at high risk of mental health issues such as suicide or self-harm attempts, medical expenses for physical injuries and psychiatric hospital treatments will be supported up to a maximum of 3 million KRW each. Students or their guardians who require treatment expense support can apply to the head of their affiliated school, and after reviewing eligibility, medical expenses will be provided. Additionally, to increase the linkage rate with specialized institutions for mental health management, a "Mental Health Expert School Visit Support" project will be implemented, where mental health experts directly visit schools to provide support.

Non-face-to-face counseling services, which are highly preferred by students, will also be provided 24 hours a day via mobile platforms without time and space constraints. The Ministry of Education plans to ensure that in emergency situations such as suicide attempts during counseling, emergency services like 119, 112, and hospitals can immediately intervene and coordinate measures to help students recover to their daily lives.

The Ministry of Education will also support health recovery for adolescents experiencing adverse reactions to vaccination. If excluded from compensation under the "National Compensation System for Vaccine Injury" after applying through the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, the individual or guardian can submit a medical expense support application to a designated entrusted institution by the Ministry of Education, and medical expenses will be paid up to a total of 5 million KRW per individual. For recipients of educational benefits whose total medical expenses exceed 5 million KRW, support will be provided up to a maximum of 10 million KRW.

As of the 17th, the vaccination rate for children and adolescents aged 13 to 18 is 78.6% for the first dose and 66.5% for the second dose. The reported rate of suspected adverse reactions among adolescents (13-18 years old) is 0.27%, with 284 cases of serious adverse reactions reported.

This support plan will be implemented temporarily from February to May next year, considering that the review and notification process after applying for the national compensation system can take up to 120 days. It may be extended depending on the spread of COVID-19 and the medical expense support situation. Deputy Prime Minister Yoo stated, "We will promptly implement and carefully execute support measures to help students recover their health and provide stronger protection against concerns about vaccine side effects."