Promoting Health and Medical Policies
for a Healthy Community Built Together
Cheongsong County is investing a total of 8.6 billion KRW in the health and medical services sector this year, aiming to "create a healthy healthcare environment built together by all," and is implementing a range of policies to achieve this goal.
First, to provide higher-quality medical services, the county plans to expand its healthcare service infrastructure and improve the environment of its public health center, thereby laying the foundation for delivering quality medical care. To this end, Cheongsong is promoting various projects to improve the medical environment, such as establishing a ONE-hour obstetrics and pediatrics treatment system, operating accommodations for medical staff, carrying out green remodeling of health subcenters and clinics, and introducing the latest medical equipment. Through these initiatives, Cheongsong County aims to shed its image as a medically underserved area and transform into "Medical City Cheongsong," where residents can enjoy advanced medical welfare.
In addition, to address potential gaps in medical care caused by the government's expansion of medical school admissions and the decreasing number of public health doctors, Cheongsong is promoting the "2025 Special Recruitment Project for Physicians in Medically Underserved Areas."
The Cheongsong County Public Health Center is the only one among 15 public medical centers nationwide to have signed a service contract with a nearby general hospital, allowing it to operate various departments, an emergency room, and inpatient wards. This year, as in the previous year, Cheongsong has signed a medical agreement with Kyungpook National University Hospital, and receives weekly visits from an obstetrician and a specialized nurse every Friday to provide obstetrics services.
The county also supports the maintenance of healthy daily lives for residents through infectious disease prevention and timely vaccination programs, and is actively engaged in systematic infectious disease response. Residents aged 65 and older who are registered in Cheongsong County are eligible for free shingles vaccinations. National life-cycle immunization programs and COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, which began last year, have also received strong support from the community.
In particular, following the major wildfire on March 25, Cheongsong operated a special disinfection response team for temporary shelters and disaster-affected households, conducting sterilization spraying at least once daily, maintaining telephone and in-person monitoring, and keeping a 24-hour emergency contact system in place to ensure thorough hygiene and quarantine efforts.
Since being designated as a regional emergency medical institution in 2009, the Cheongsong County Public Health Center has operated a 24-hour emergency room and has established a system that allows critically ill patients to be transported to a higher-level hospital within 15 minutes by doctor helicopter.
Among 16 public health centers nationwide, Cheongsong County, along with Pyeongchang County and Imsil County, received an A grade in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's 2024 emergency medical institution evaluation, recognizing its reliable emergency medical infrastructure and service system.
Furthermore, Cheongsong County is raising the level of public health and strengthening its tailored lifelong health management system through a variety of integrated health promotion projects. These include AI-IoT (Artificial Intelligence-Internet of Things) based personalized health management for seniors, resident-led healthy village initiatives, health lifestyle habit formation projects, enhanced smoking cessation support services, and the operation of a health promotion center in the southern region of the county.
The county also operates a Dementia Relief Center that provides comprehensive support from prevention to management of dementia, and is implementing various programs to promote mental health and a culture of respect for life. In particular, Cheongsong is playing a significant role in helping residents recover psychologically by operating a disaster psychological counseling center for wildfire victims and supporting psychological recovery in the community.
Cheongsong County is also implementing various policies to encourage pregnancy and childbirth. For men and women aged 20 to 49 who wish to participate, the county provides up to 130,000 KRW in pre-pregnancy health management support, including ovarian function tests and ultrasounds. Pregnant women in the county receive up to 50,000 KRW once each for pregnancy diagnosis and congenital anomaly testing. High-risk pregnant women are eligible for support covering 90% of their out-of-pocket expenses (up to 3 million KRW per person), and infertile couples can receive support for up to 20 cycles of in vitro fertilization (fresh + frozen) and 5 cycles of artificial insemination.
Upon childbirth, the county provides a childbirth congratulatory payment of 1 million KRW. For the first child, a childbirth incentive of 100,000 KRW per month is provided for 48 months, and for the second to fourth children, 200,000 KRW per month is provided for 60 months.
In addition, the county provides childcare supplies worth 200,000 KRW at childbirth, and uniquely in the nation, also provides a stroller worth 1.5 million KRW, actively supporting the national policies for childbirth and childrearing.
County Governor Yoon Kyunghee stated, "We will continue to implement a variety of medical welfare policies that residents can truly feel," and added, "By expanding diverse health and medical service projects, we will make Cheongsong a healthy city where all residents can be satisfied."
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