To Overcome Low Birth Rates:
Healthy Pregnancies and Reliable Childbirth
Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongnam Province announced on the 4th that it will expand and strengthen a total of 28 maternal and child health projects, including 3 new programs, starting this year to overcome low birth rates.
Changnyeong-gun plans to invest a total budget of 590 million KRW to implement policies supporting healthy pregnancies and reliable childbirth, creating a favorable environment for having and raising children.
As a new support project, the first is the △Pregnant Women Transportation Expense Support Project, which proactively provides temporary transportation cost support for pregnant women who are transportation-vulnerable. Pregnant women registered at the public health center with an address in Changnyeong-gun will receive 50,000 KRW per visit, up to 4 times (total 200,000 KRW), when visiting medical institutions for prenatal care or childbirth. Applicants must submit medical receipts, a resident registration certificate, and a copy of their bankbook.
The second new project supports △Eco-friendly Baby Food Nutrition Packages for infants aged 5 to 12 months born after January 1, 2024. Nutrition packages worth 75,000 KRW per month will be delivered for 8 months to households with infants residing in Changnyeong-gun, with a total support amount of 600,000 KRW, of which 120,000 KRW is the recipient’s share. The packages include eco-friendly agricultural and livestock products and organic processed foods to promote infant health while stimulating local agricultural product consumption and increasing farmers’ income.
The third new project provides support for △Cryopreservation Costs of Reproductive Cells (sperm and eggs) expected to result in permanent infertility due to medical treatments such as ovary or testicle removal. Men can receive up to 300,000 KRW and women up to 2,000,000 KRW once, covering freezing and the first year of storage costs.
Creating the Future of Changnyeong: A Happy Changnyeong for Both Mothers and Children. Provided by Changnyeong County.
For the expanded and strengthened projects in 2025, the first is the △Pre-pregnancy Health Management Support Project, which expands health checkups from being limited to couples preparing for pregnancy once to all men and women aged 20 to 49, supporting up to 3 times. Men can receive up to 50,000 KRW and women up to 130,000 KRW. Applications can be made by visiting the public health center or online (Government24, e-Health Public Health Portal).
The second project expands △Postpartum and Newborn Care Worker Support for families who do not receive government or Gyeongsangnam-do support (those exceeding 180% of median income) through Changnyeong-gun’s own program. The existing personal burden support of 500,000 KRW will be increased to 700,000 KRW, and care workers will visit homes for up to 15 days to assist mothers’ health recovery and newborn care.
The third project supports △Rubella Vaccination Costs for prospective mothers (30,000 KRW) after rubella antibody testing for women of childbearing age planning pregnancy and pregnant women who lack antibodies. This is expected to contribute to preventing early pregnancy miscarriage and congenital fetal defects.
The fourth project implements the △Infertile Couples Treatment Cost Support Project by removing the existing age limit and expanding the support scope. Support is expanded from one woman per person to “up to 25 treatments per childbirth,” and the health insurance co-payment rate is reduced from 50% to 30% for those aged 45 and older, reducing the economic burden.
The fifth project supports medical expenses for 19 types of △High-risk Pregnancies including severe preeclampsia and preterm labor, adolescent mothers, and pregnant women management. In particular, medical expenses are supported for adolescent mothers who have weak prenatal care to help ensure healthy childbirth.
As customized support projects for childbirth, infants, and maternal health, the first is △Early Life Health Management Services, where professional infant health nurses visit homes to provide maternal nursing, parenting education, and emotional support to prevent postpartum depression. Any pregnant woman or household with infants under 2 years old residing in Changnyeong-gun can apply.
The second project supports △Postpartum care costs for low-income families for diapers, formula, and maternal and newborn health management. Additionally, economic burdens are reduced through discounts on public postpartum care center fees for vulnerable groups.
The third project promotes △Infant Health Checkups and Medical Expense Support for premature and congenital anomaly infants, including ‘Congenital Metabolic Disorder Screening and Patient Management,’ ‘Congenital Hearing Loss Screening and Hearing Aid Support,’ and ‘Detailed Developmental Disability Testing for Infants and Toddlers.’ This focuses on early health management and reducing disability prevalence among infants and toddlers.
Changnyeong-gun’s specialized maternal and child health projects will expand the existing ‘Pregnant Women’s Day’ commemorative event by linking it with the ‘Making Baby Supplies’ project and operate programs such as ‘Medical Supplies and Nutritional Supplement Support for Newlyweds (Prospective Couples) and Women of Childbearing Age,’ ‘Pregnancy Celebration Gift Support,’ ‘Fetal Malformation Screening Cost Support,’ ‘Additional Transportation Cost Support for Postpartum and Newborn Care Workers in Remote Areas,’ and ‘Expanded Support for Postpartum and Newborn Care Workers.’ These efforts aim to alleviate the economic burden on childbirth families and create a healthy pregnancy and childbirth environment.
County Governor Seong Nak-in stated, “Maternal and child health projects are essential for protecting the health of pregnant women and infants and are a task that all residents must work on together beyond just encouraging childbirth. We will do our best to make Changnyeong a good place to have and raise children and a good place to live.”
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