Paju City's Meticulous Welfare Home Medical Care Project 'Eye-Catching'

Long-term Hospitalized Medical Aid Recipients
Support for Care Services Linked with Community Resources After Discharge

The city of Paju, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Kim Kyung-il) is gaining attention for its ongoing ‘Home Medical Care Benefits Project.’ This project targets long-term hospitalized medical aid recipients who find it difficult to return to daily life due to aging and the lack of care and housing. It supports smooth reintegration into the local community after discharge by providing necessary services such as medical care, caregiving, meals, and welfare supplies.

'Jae-ga Medical Aid Project' poster. Provided by Paju City

Initiated as a pilot project by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2019, this program has been recognized for its high effectiveness in not only improving discharged patients’ satisfaction and quality of life but also enhancing financial efficiency by preventing excessive use of medical aid. As a result, it was expanded to 229 regions nationwide starting July as a full-scale project.

Selected in the 2021 pilot contest by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Paju City has been providing convenient and diverse tailored services such as on-site medical treatment, home care, meal and transportation support through service agreements with local resources including medical institutions, care centers, and side dish shops within the patients’ residential radius. This approach has earned positive word-of-mouth and attracted attention from other local governments as a model for study visits.

A resident of Unjeong-dong shared, “I had been hospitalized for a long time and was physically and mentally exhausted, wanting to be discharged but had no one to care for me, which was very difficult. Through the medical aid manager, I learned about the Home Medical Care Benefits Project, and it truly became a great help in my recovery and return to daily life after discharge.” The resident expressed gratitude to Paju City.

Kwon Ye-ja, Director of the Welfare Support Division, said, “Long hospital stays are tough on a sick body, and if discharge is difficult due to isolation without a caregiver, it must be truly overwhelming. We will continue to work diligently so that long-term hospitalized medical aid recipients can settle stably not in hospitals but in their homes and neighborhoods through cooperation with the local community despite challenging conditions.”