Province and Dementia Safety Centers Face Budget 'Cuts' Next Year
Despite the increasing number of dementia patients in Jeonnam every year, there are claims that measures to address the issue have been neglected.
Cha Young-su, a member of the Jeonnam Provincial Council (Democratic Party of Korea, Gangjin), pointed out during the review of the Health and Welfare Bureau budget for next year at the Health, Welfare, and Environment Committee meeting held on the 21st that "the comprehensive dementia management plan of Jeonnam Province shows negligence in preparing countermeasures."
The Jeonnam Province budget proposal for next year reduced funding for the 'Operation of Dementia Safety Centers' and 'Expansion of Dementia Treatment and Management Support' projects by 2.3 billion KRW and 229 million KRW, respectively.
Councilor Cha criticized, "Although the number of dementia patients in Jeonnam is increasing every year, the two projects included in the comprehensive dementia management plan have not even started."
He continued, "The government cuts budgets due to many unused funds in local governments, and Jeonnam Province cannot even allocate the planned budget due to lack of funds. In less than 30 years, one out of every two residents in Jeonnam will be elderly. It is urgent to prepare measures for dementia."
In response, Lee Sang-shim, Director of the Health and Welfare Bureau, said, "We will implement the plan to provide practical help for dementia prevention and treatment and strive to secure the budget."
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