The "Mobile Clinic Bus" Arrives in Rural Areas... Bonghwa Fills the Healthcare Gap

Enhancing Quality of Life for Farmers
Through Customized Care and Preventive Education

Customized medical services have arrived in rural areas that have long been in a medical blind spot.

On September 17, Bonghwa County in North Gyeongsang Province and the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation operated the "Mobile Rural Clinic Bus" at the Myeongho Administrative Welfare Center, providing comprehensive medical services to approximately 300 residents. These services included both Western and Korean medicine consultations, physical therapy, ophthalmology check-ups, and disease prevention education.

This medical outreach involved 20 professional medical staff, including doctors, Korean medicine doctors, and nurses from the Integrated Public Health Volunteer Association and the Yonsei University Sports Rehabilitation Research Institute, who offered on-site consultations and prescriptions free of charge. In addition, Hongje Grand Prix Optician supported precise vision tests and customized reading glasses, realizing practical, community-based medical welfare.

Bonghwa County was selected last year for the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs' "Mobile Rural Clinic Bus" project, making this initiative possible. This reflects the growing demand for disease prevention and health management in rural areas, where medical infrastructure is relatively weak.

Residents who visited the site expressed their satisfaction, saying, "It is usually difficult to visit a hospital in time due to farming work, but thanks to the clinic bus, I feel relieved to receive medical care nearby."

Bonghwa County Governor Park Hyunkook stated, "It is meaningful to provide high-quality medical services to residents who are too busy with farming to take care of their health," adding, "I hope this opportunity will help spread a culture in which farmers take care of their own health."

The Mobile Rural Clinic Bus is more than just a medical vehicle; it serves as a mobile public healthcare platform that helps bridge regional gaps. The Bonghwa case is expected to become an on-site model that guides the direction of rural welfare and healthcare policy.