Gwangju City Supports Foreigners Facing 'Language Barriers' Preventing Hospital Visits Despite Illness

Promotion of Medical Interpretation and Translation Activist Training Support Project

Applications open until May 7... Operation in the second half of the year

Gwangju Metropolitan City (Mayor Kang Ki-jung) is supporting foreign residents who cannot visit hospitals due to 'language barriers' even when they are sick.

On the 19th, Gwangju City announced that it will promote the 'Medical Interpretation and Translation Activist Training Support Project' to support appropriate treatment for foreign residents.

According to the Gwangju Foreign Resident Survey (2022 Gwangju Welfare Institute), 31.7% of respondents said they had experienced not going to the hospital even when sick. The most common reason was 'communication problems' (34.4%).

The most inconvenient aspect when using medical institutions was 'difficulty in consultation and treatment due to communication' (49.1%).

Accordingly, Gwangju City is promoting this project to help foreign residents who cannot visit hospitals due to language limitations and to ensure appropriate treatment.

The city plans to recruit participants until May 7 and officially implement the project from the second half of the year.

The finally selected medical interpreters will accompany foreign residents who are not proficient in Korean when they visit medical institutions, providing medical interpretation services throughout all processes such as hospital registration, consultation, examination, and payment.

In particular, priority support will be given to cases requiring professional interpretation such as severe (emergency) patients, surgeries, and detailed examinations, rather than visits for colds or wounds, which is expected to enable accurate and prompt diagnosis and treatment.

Detailed information on eligibility, training schedules, and more can be found on the Gwangju Metropolitan City website or the Gwangju Migrant Health Center website.

Joo Sang-hyun, Director of Foreign Residents Division, said, “Medical interpretation requires specialized medical terminology knowledge, understanding of the socio-cultural environment of foreign patients, and accurate communication with medical staff,” adding, “We will do our best to train professional interpreters in the medical field to help foreign patients receive smooth consultations and appropriate medical services.”