[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do's first 'public postpartum care center' opened on the 29th in Nae-dong, Miryang City.
Gyeongnam Province opened the first public postpartum care center in the province to respond to the low birthrate phenomenon and to eliminate blind spots in postpartum care services.
The opening ceremony was attended by Ha Byungpil, Acting Governor of Gyeongnam Province, Park Ilho, Mayor of Miryang, and members of the Gyeongnam Provincial Assembly.
According to the province, Miryang City has obstetrics and gynecology facilities for childbirth but lacked postpartum care centers, causing local mothers to experience inconvenience by traveling to nearby cities for postpartum care.
The province decided to establish public postpartum care centers by region and selected Miryang in the eastern area as the site for the public care center through a public contest.
The care center was built with a total budget of 3 billion KRW, consisting of two above-ground floors, equipped with 8 rooms for pregnant women, a newborn room, nursing room, multipurpose room, counseling room, and operates programs such as postpartum care and breastfeeding education.
After a pilot operation following the opening ceremony, it is scheduled to officially operate in June, and anyone residing in the province can use the facility.
The usage fee is 1.6 million KRW for two weeks, with 35% of the fee supported for vulnerable groups.
Support is provided for basic livelihood security recipients, persons with disabilities, national merit recipients, May 18 Democratic Merit recipients, multicultural families, North Korean defectors, patients with rare and intractable diseases, single-parent families, and mothers who have given birth to twins or three or more children.
Acting Governor Ha Byungpil said, "To ensure sustainable regional development, creating an environment conducive to having and raising children is the most important," and added, "We will strive to expand public postpartum care centers and improve childbirth and childcare environments."
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