NHIS Supports Development of Mexico's Long-term Care System... Sharing Domestic Operational Experience

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) of Korea is transferring its experience in operating the country's 'Long-Term Care Insurance System for the Elderly' to Mexico.

On the 19th, NHIS announced that it signed a project implementation contract with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on the 16th and will officially begin support projects for the development of Mexico's long-term care system.

This support project, which will run until April next year, aims to transfer Korea's experience and knowledge in operating the long-term care insurance system to help design a long-term care system suitable for Mexico.

NHIS plans to provide policy advice on the introduction of the long-term care system in Mexico, the training of long-term care personnel, and the establishment of a management system, as well as invite long-term care policy officials from Mexico's Social Security Institute and others for training sessions.

This project was realized at the request of Mexico, which showed interest in Korea's long-term care system introduced at the international long-term care seminar jointly hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, NHIS, and IDB in 2019.

Latin American countries, including Mexico, are currently facing rapidly increasing socioeconomic burdens due to population aging and the rise of chronic diseases, making it urgent to establish institutional alternatives to address these issues.

In Mexico's case, the elderly population aged 65 and over exceeded 7% of the total population in 2020, entering an aging society, and the disease burden from chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes is increasing. Accordingly, they are currently working on legal and institutional arrangements and policy discussions with the goal of implementing the long-term care system in 2024.