Daejeon Sejong Chungnam Children's Rehabilitation Hospital Deficit 'Snowballing'...Urgent Need for National Funding Support

Last Year 3 Billion, This Year 6 Billion Deficit Expected Operational Difficulties
3 Provincial Directors Urge 80% Support for Essential Labor Costs

On the 25th, the directors of three provincial governments, including Daejeon City, Sejong City, and Chungnam Province, gathered in Daejeon to collaborate on securing national funding for the Children's Rehabilitation Hospital. / Daejeon City

At the end of May last year, the Daejeon-Sejong-Chungnam Public Children's Rehabilitation Hospital, sponsored by Nexon, opened, but as its deficit snowballed, the three Chungcheong region cities and provinces repeatedly requested national government funding.

The three local governments?Daejeon City, Sejong City, and Chungnam Province?held a director-level meeting on the 25th in Daejeon to establish a cooperative system among the cities and provinces for the Public Children's Rehabilitation Hospital.

The Public Children's Rehabilitation Hospital was designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare as a Chungnam regional hospital and opened in May last year, providing a new integrated welfare service that operates treatment and care services for disabled children along with special education. Since opening, an average of about 120 patients visit daily, with over 20,000 medical treatments conducted in 11 months.

However, with an expected deficit of about 3 billion KRW last year and about 6 billion KRW this year, stable operation is difficult without national government funding.

Accordingly, similar to support cases for designated children's rehabilitation hospitals operated by other local governments, they are requesting the government to continue supporting 80% of essential labor costs (approximately 5.1 billion KRW).

The directors of the three local governments agreed to share understanding of the Public Children's Rehabilitation Hospital’s operational status and to actively respond through various means, including holding director-level meetings as needed until sufficient government operating funds are provided.

The regional usage rates of children at the Public Children's Rehabilitation Hospital are approximately 75.4% from Daejeon, 10.2% from Sejong, and 8.4% from Chungnam. In August last year, the four cities and provinces of the Chungcheong region jointly submitted a petition to the government requesting national funding for hospital operating costs.

Built at a total cost of 49.4 billion KRW?including 10 billion KRW from the national government, 29.4 billion KRW from local governments, and 10 billion KRW in sponsorship?the Public Children's Rehabilitation Hospital has facilities spanning from two basement floors to five above ground, with three departments and 70 beds. However, this year, the entire budget of 9.2 billion KRW, including 6.4 billion KRW for labor costs and 2.8 billion KRW for operating expenses, is being supported solely by local government funds.