There Is Not a Single Public Postpartum Care Center in Gwangju...

Myeongno Lee, Gwangju City Council Member, "Concerns Over Worsening Low Birthrate"
City Reviews Support Measures for Improving Postpartum Care Environment

Lee Myung-no, Gwangju City Council member.

The postpartum care environment in Gwangju City has been revealed to be the most inadequate nationwide. Along with Ulsan City, Gwangju has the fewest postpartum care centers among the six major metropolitan cities, and in Gwangju’s case, there are no public postpartum care centers at all, highlighting the urgent need for countermeasures.

On the 7th, Lee Myung-no, a member of the Gwangju City Council (Democratic Party, Seo-gu 3), urged during the administrative audit of the Gwangju City Women and Family Bureau, “Gwangju must improve its poor postpartum care environment, including the absence of public postpartum care centers and the rapid increase in postpartum care costs.”

Currently, there are no public postpartum care centers in Gwangju, and the prices of private postpartum care centers are confirmed to be the second highest after Seoul. In particular, the rate of price increase is the highest in the country, increasing the burden on citizens.

As of 2023, the average postpartum care cost in Gwangju is 3.7 million KRW, the second highest after Seoul’s 4.33 million KRW. Compared to 2019 (2.25 million KRW), this represents a 64.4% increase. This figure far exceeds the increase rates of Busan (46.3%) and Gyeongnam (38.1%).

Although Gwangju is benchmarked as an advanced case in birth and childcare policies, many citizens are increasingly disappointed with the reality of neglecting postpartum issues. Accordingly, voices are growing for comprehensive postpartum care service improvements, including public care centers, befitting the name “Gwangju-type care.”

Councilor Lee emphasized, “To address the decline in Gwangju’s birthrate, it is necessary to improve the postpartum care environment,” adding, “A feasibility review for establishing public postpartum care centers and an investigation into the usage conditions of public postpartum care centers in other cities and provinces should be conducted to ensure sufficient support for users of private postpartum care centers as well.”

In response, Lee Young-dong, Director of the Gwangju City Women and Family Bureau, acknowledged, “Although there is national and local support for postpartum care for low-income groups in the absence of public postpartum care centers, the performance is insufficient,” and stated, “We will actively review the possibility of establishing public postpartum care centers and support measures for users of private postpartum care centers to meet citizens’ demands.”