Seongnam-si Launches Free Dementia Screening Fee Support Program for Low-Income Groups

[Asia Economy (Seongnam) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Seongnam City in Gyeonggi Province will provide free dementia screening tests for low-income groups.

On the 18th, Seongnam City announced that it will support the out-of-pocket expenses in addition to the national subsidies for low-income individuals who need to undergo dementia screening tests.

This support aims to enable eligible individuals to receive screening tests free of charge to detect dementia early and prevent its progression to severe stages.

To this end, on the 18th, Seongnam Mayor Shin Sang-jin, Seongnam Medical Center Director Lee Joong-ui, and Bobath Memorial Hospital Director Na Hae-ri attended and signed an "Agreement on the Support Project for Dementia Screening Tests for Low-Income Groups."

According to the agreement, Seongnam Medical Center and Bobath Memorial Hospital will provide free dementia screening tests for eligible individuals from next month 1st until November 30th.

Among the costs for computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) required for dementia screening, the medical institutions will cover the entire out-of-pocket expenses ranging from 140,000 to 330,000 KRW, in addition to the national subsidy (up to 110,000 KRW).

The city will identify eligible individuals with incomes at or below 120% of the median income who require dementia screening and connect them to the two medical institutions.

After piloting the free dementia screening support project for low-income groups, the city plans to gradually expand participation from local medical institutions.

Among 133,578 elderly people aged 65 or older in the Seongnam area, 9.9%, or 13,236 people, are dementia patients.