Gangnam District and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital Partner to Provide Home Hospice Care for Terminal Cancer Patients

Establishing a Collaborative Model Between Local Government and Tertiary Hospitals

Seoul's Gangnam District (Mayor Jongmyung Cho) is partnering with Seoul St. Mary's Hospital at Catholic University to provide home hospice care for terminal cancer patients.

On January 26, Gangnam District announced that it had signed a business agreement with Seoul St. Mary's Hospital for the "Gangnam District Integrated Care Home Hospice Cooperation Project" at the district office on January 23. This marks the first official case in which a local government and a tertiary general hospital have established a system to jointly support home hospice care.

Jongmyung Cho, Mayor of Gangnam District (left), and Jiyeol Lee, Director of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University, are posing for a commemorative photo after signing a business agreement for the 'Gangnam-gu Integrated Care Home Hospice Cooperation Project.' Provided by Gangnam District.

The goal is to help terminally ill patients spend the end of their lives with dignity in familiar surroundings, amid growing care gaps after discharge due to an aging population and an increase in single-person households.

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital will operate a team of hospice specialists, including physicians, advanced practice nurses, and medical social workers, to provide medical services such as home visits, nursing care, pain management, medication management, and death certification. Gangnam District will handle non-medical services, including in-home care, improvements to the living environment, support for assistive devices, family counseling, and funeral arrangements, while also linking community resources such as local community centers, public health centers, and welfare centers.

The project will begin with several dozen patients annually and will be gradually expanded based on operational results, with plans to broaden the target group to include all terminally ill patients in the future. The two institutions will form a consultative body to hold regular case meetings and evaluations.

Jiyeol Lee, Director of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, stated, "What terminally ill patients need is not an extension of treatment, but relief from suffering and a meaningful conclusion to life. We aim to create a case where home hospice care and integrated care are organically connected."

Jongmyung Cho, Mayor of Gangnam District, said, "Our goal is to ensure that hospitals, homes, and the local community function as a unified care system. We will establish and spread a care model that connects the hospital to the home."