With about two months to go before nationwide integrated care begins on Mar. 27, preparations were found to vary widely by region. Gwangju and Daejeon were highest at 100% readiness, while Incheon was lowest at 52%.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 8th that a check of nationwide readiness ahead of the full roll-out of integrated care showed these results. Integrated care is a system in which local governments help older adults, people with disabilities, and others receive integrated medical, nursing, and care services at their own homes.
The ministry evaluated readiness based on items including ▲ foundation building (enacting a local government ordinance, setting up a dedicated organization, assigning dedicated personnel) ▲ program operation (applications and identifying eligible people, linking services). As of the 2nd, it compiled completion rates by indicator for cities, counties, and districts under each province and metropolitan city.
As a result, the national average performance was 81.7%. By region, Gwangju and Daejeon were highest at 100%, followed by Ulsan (96%), Daegu (95.6%), South Gyeongsang (93.3%), Busan (92.5%), and North Chungcheong and South Jeolla (90.9%). Incheon had the lowest readiness at 52%. North Gyeongsang (58.2%) and North Jeolla (61.4%) were also relatively low.
In particular, of the 229 cities, counties, and districts nationwide, 20 had yet to assign dedicated personnel. These included Dong District and Yeonsu District in Incheon; Ongjin County in Incheon; Yeoju in Gyeonggi; Jeongeup, Jinan, Imsil, Sunchang, and Buan in North Jeolla; Damyang, Gokseong, and Gangjin in South Jeolla; Pohang, Gumi, Yeongcheon, Seongju, and Ulleung in North Gyeongsang; and Uiryeong, Geochang, and Hapcheon in South Gyeongsang. Twenty-nine had not formed dedicated organizations.
The ministry said, "The later a local government joined the integrated care pilot, the more insufficient its level of preparation tended to be," and added, "Over the next two months, we plan to conduct on-site inspections and discuss improvement plans in parallel for underprepared cities, counties, and districts."
People who wish to receive integrated care services can apply themselves or through family at township, town, or neighborhood community centers or at a National Health Insurance Service branch. Mayors, county chiefs, and district chiefs can also apply ex officio. Cities, counties, and districts assess the medical, nursing, and care needs of applicants, establish individual support plans, and then connect and provide services needed by each person.