Linking Childbirth and Care:
A Leading Role in Public Health
Sacheon City in South Gyeongsang Province is strengthening its role as a birth-friendly city by systematically advancing its childbirth and maternal-child health policies, which encompass the entire process from pregnancy to childbirth and childrearing.
This initiative is intended to share the burdens of childbirth and parenting within the community during an era of low birth rates.
Under the recognition that childbirth is not a personal choice but a top priority that the community must address together, Sacheon City is implementing maternal and child health policies that cover the entire process from pregnancy to childbirth and childrearing.
The city has established an institutional foundation to encourage childbirth, including support for pre-pregnancy examinations, financial assistance for infertility treatments, and coverage of out-of-pocket expenses for infertility treatments specific to Sacheon.
Additionally, the city operates health classes for pregnant women and childbirth preparation classes for prospective parents to promote shared parenting. Through the Early Life Health Management Project, public health nurses visit households with pregnant women and children under the age of two to provide parenting guidance, health management, postpartum depression screening, and developmental assessments for infants and toddlers. These efforts are fostering a socially supportive atmosphere for childbirth.
Notably, by supporting the operation of an obstetrics and gynecology clinic, the city achieved the reopening of such a clinic after 12 years. As a result, a total of 141 newborns were delivered as of December 2025, marking a significant achievement.
Furthermore, Sacheon City provides tangible economic support immediately after childbirth to help families raise their children in a stable environment.
Depending on the birth order, the city offers childbirth grants of 1 million won for the first child, 2 million won for the second child, and up to 8 million won for families with three or more children. In addition, the city provides 1 million won for postpartum care, and links this with the government’s First Meeting Voucher program (2 million won for the first child, 3 million won for the second child or more), thereby substantially easing the financial burden on households in the early stages after childbirth.
To further alleviate the potential medical expenses that may arise after childbirth, the city also implements medical expense support programs for pregnant women and infants.
Through initiatives such as support for high-risk pregnancy medical expenses, assistance for premature and congenitally ill infants, congenital metabolic disorder screening and patient management, and detailed developmental assessments for infants and toddlers, the city systematically manages the health of pregnant women and young children, enabling families to focus on treatment and care.
Meanwhile, starting in 2026, Sacheon City plans to significantly expand its own support for the Maternal and Newborn Health Management Project. Currently, there are limits on the number of days for which out-of-pocket expenses are supported when using maternal and newborn health management services. South Gyeongsang Province provides 90% support for out-of-pocket expenses for up to 15 days of service, while Sacheon City currently offers 90% support only for standard service use.
From 2026, Sacheon City will ease the restrictions on the number of days for out-of-pocket support, providing 90% support for out-of-pocket expenses regardless of the number of days the service is used, with a maximum support limit of 1 million won. This will improve the support system.
Through this, the city aims to reduce the financial burden on mothers that increases with longer service periods and to help families access postpartum care services more stably.
Alongside these measures, in 2026, the city plans to introduce a new nutrition package voucher program for families with newborns, among various other initiatives, to further reduce the economic burden on families and continuously foster a healthy environment for childrearing.
To respond to low birth rates and ease the burden of traveling for postpartum care, the city is accelerating efforts to complete a public postpartum care center by 2027, prioritizing the safety of mothers and newborns.
Mayor Park Dongsik stated, "We will continue to add practical policies one by one so that parents do not hesitate to have and raise children due to economic or emotional concerns. In particular, we will focus our administrative capabilities on reducing the burdens that citizens feel most acutely, such as medical expenses, care, and childrearing costs."
He added, "While childbirth and parenting are personal choices, I believe the burden should be shared by society. Sacheon City is taking a step further as a birth-friendly city that takes responsibility for the entire process from pregnancy to childbirth and childrearing. We will continue to work together with our citizens to make Sacheon a city where it is good to have and raise children, and where young generations want to stay."
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