An 85-year-old, identified as A, applied for integrated care services while hospitalized, to receive the support needed after discharge. The local government received an assessment of A's condition from the hospital and connected the person to the necessary services.
A system that provides care and medical support as a "one-stop" service will be implemented nationwide starting on the 27th. Previously, individuals had to apply for as many as 30 different services separately, but going forward, experts' assessments will allow each person to receive all the necessary support at once.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare held a meeting of the integrated care policy committee on the 5th and announced a "road map for advancing community-based integrated care." The ministry plans to expand the eligible population and services in three phases: the introduction phase (2026-2027), the stabilization phase (2028-2029), and the advancement phase (from 2030). A total of 940 billion won is expected to be invested over the next five years.
First, this year and next year, integrated care services will focus on older adults, older persons with disabilities, and people under 65 with severe disabilities who have high medical needs. Starting in 2028, the government will consider expanding eligibility to people with severe illnesses and to all people with disabilities who need medical care. In 2030, it plans to further expand services to those with high care needs.
Integrated care services will center on in-home medical care, dementia management, chronic disease management, mental health management, and support for patients after discharge. Support for sports activities for older adults and people with disabilities, as well as rehabilitation services for people with disabilities, will also be included. The usage limits for home-visit nursing, home-visit care, and home-visit bathing will be expanded to improve access to services.
The ministry will conduct a pilot project for end-of-life care in 2028 and establish psychiatric rehabilitation facilities and shelters for people with mental illness. It will also push to improve related laws and systems. From 2030, it will build services for the full life cycle from frailty prevention to end of life and add 30 more types of care services. It will also streamline overlapping or similar central and local government care programs.
However, some regions may face disruptions in service delivery due to a shortage of dedicated personnel. According to the ministry, of roughly 3,500 towns, townships, and neighborhoods, about 1,700 have never carried out the integrated care service linkage process even once. Some areas, including Ongjin County, are reportedly able to offer almost no services.
Lee Seu-ran, the first vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "Ahead of implementation, we asked every town, township, and neighborhood to carry out the entire process from application to service linkage for integrated care," adding, "Because of regional disparities, it is difficult to say when every service will be fully built out nationwide without omissions."