Abolishing Income Criteria for Health Manager Visits
500,000 Won in Postpartum Care Expenses Also Provided
Hwaseong City in Gyeonggi Province is proactively introducing a "universal postpartum care policy" for all families with newborns, regardless of income.
On January 15, Hwaseong City announced that it will implement the "Hwaseong-style Postpartum Care Model," which organically integrates the dispatch of maternal and newborn health managers and support for postpartum care expenses, reflecting the changing preferences of mothers in their 20s and 30s.
Hwaseong City is introducing a universal postpartum care support policy for all families with newborns, regardless of income. Mayor Jung Myung-geun of Hwaseong City is greeting infants at a local event. Photo by Hwaseong City
This model combines postpartum care expense support, one-on-one customized home visits, and care by professional personnel into a single system. Its key features include a customized, selectable, and home-visit structure, all offered simultaneously.
The city explained that this policy is an advancement of President Lee Jaemyung's previous initiatives. As mayor of Seongnam in 2016, President Lee was the first in the nation to launch a postpartum care expense program and played a leading role in passing the amendment to the Mother and Child Health Act in the National Assembly, which provided the legal basis for establishing public postpartum care centers by local governments. During his term as Governor of Gyeonggi Province, he also actively promoted the establishment of public postpartum care centers and postpartum care expense support programs.
In particular, the city has completely abolished income criteria for the maternal and newborn health manager support program, allowing all families with newborns in the region to receive professional postpartum care at home. In this program, a health manager visits the home to provide recovery and care services after childbirth.
This service is available from 40 days before the expected delivery date until 60 days after childbirth. Depending on the type of delivery and the number of children, a professional health manager visits the home for as little as 5 days and up to a maximum of 40 days. The health manager provides one-on-one support for the mother's recovery, newborn care, breastfeeding, bathing, hygiene management, and parenting education.
In addition, the city provides 500,000 won in postpartum care expenses per infant within 12 months of birth, paid in local currency. Eligible recipients are all families where either the father or mother of the newborn resides in Hwaseong City on both the date of birth and the date of application. Support is provided regardless of income level or whether a postpartum care center is used.
The local currency provided can be used not only for postpartum care center fees but also for medical expenses, pharmacies, maternal and newborn supplies, nutritional food, and groceries at any participating local business.
Postpartum care expense support is provided immediately upon application, which can be made either in person at the local administrative welfare center at the time of birth registration or online.
Jung Myung-geun, Mayor of Hwaseong City, stated, "Recovery and care after childbirth should not be the sole responsibility of the individual, but of society and the community as a whole," adding, "We will further develop the postpartum care policy that President Lee proactively introduced, with even greater attention to detail at the city level."
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