Gongju City Launches "Rural Visiting Bus" to Address Medical Blind Spots

Expanded to 7 Villages
5 Sessions in the First Half, 2 Sessions in the Second Half

Gongju City Hall Exterior View

Gongju City in South Chungcheong Province announced on the 17th that it will officially operate the "Nongchon Wangjin Bus" (Rural House Call Bus) to support residents in rural areas with insufficient medical facilities.

This project is being carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (Nonghyup), providing comprehensive medical services by directly visiting areas with low medical accessibility.

The medical services offered include both Western and Korean traditional medicine, oral examinations, vision tests, support for magnifying glasses, and health education for disease prevention, covering essential healthcare needs for daily life.

Following a pilot operation in six villages last year, the city plans to expand the service to seven villages this year, providing medical benefits to about 2,000 residents through five sessions in the first half and two sessions in the second half of the year.

In particular, this year the city secured a budget of 252 million won, an increase of about 108 million won from last year, marking the highest budget among cities in South Chungcheong Province.

Mayor Choi Woncheol stated, "I hope the Nongchon Wangjin Bus will greatly help resolve the medical blind spots in rural areas, and we will continue our efforts to strengthen welfare services."