Incheon Dong-gu (District Mayor Kim Chan-jin) announced on the 17th that it will actively promote various health projects to improve the health of residents and their quality of life by 2025. This project includes the 8th elected public pledges such as expanding shingles vaccination for the elderly, strengthening systematic oral health welfare, and expanding medical services for the health-vulnerable.
As of December last year, the elderly population aged 65 or older accounted for 27.1% of the total population in Dong-gu. Therefore, it is urgent to establish systematic measures to resolve the health gap in vulnerable groups due to the increase in the number of elderly people living alone, the burden of medical expenses, and blind spots in health care.
To address this, Dong-gu Public Health Center plans to promote various customized projects, including ▲Oral Welfare Teeth Plan ▲Expansion of free vaccinations for shingles and influenza ▲Establishment of an emergency medical response system ▲Support for childbirth-friendly postpartum care expenses ▲Activation of dementia prevention and management projects.
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[Korean Today] Incheon Dong-gu Health Center, which is promoting health projects to support vulnerable groups in 2025 ©Reporter Kim Mi-hee |
Expanding support for oral welfare and dental treatment costs
The dental implant and other treatment cost support project, which had been providing up to 800,000 won per person to low-income seniors and the disabled, will expand its criteria from the bottom 50% of health insurance premiums to the middle-income 130% or less. The cost of dental home care treatment for children under 14 will also be expanded from the existing first molars to the first and second molars.
Emergency medical care and public late-night pharmacy operation
Dong-gu plans to install 10 new automated external defibrillators (AEDs) in 2025 to prepare for cardiac arrest emergencies, bringing the total to 181. In addition, a public late-night pharmacy (Baekje Pharmacy) will be operated every Wednesday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. the following day, to ensure that residents can receive medical services at night.
Strengthening childbirth-friendly support and dementia prevention projects
Donggu provides postpartum care costs of up to 1 million won regardless of income level to ease the financial burden on families giving birth and to promote the health of mothers and newborns. This money can be used for things like using postpartum care centers, taking exercise programs, and purchasing health functional foods.
In addition, Dong-gu plans to designate Hwadojin Library as a ‘Library with Value’ and, in cooperation with Jaeneung University, train a group of college student volunteers specializing in dementia, and provide cognitive rehabilitation activities and emotional support to dementia patients living alone.
Last year, it was selected as an excellent national vaccination health center.
Dong-gu Health Center was selected as the ‘2024 National Vaccination Excellent Health Center’ last year, receiving a commendation from the Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. In particular, the expansion of shingles vaccination for seniors over 60 years of age and the provision of free influenza vaccination to all Dong-gu residents without age restrictions were cited as major achievements.
Dong-gu District Mayor Kim Chan-jin said, “We will discover and promote customized health projects that will provide practical help to residents in order to improve medical accessibility for the medically vulnerable and eliminate health disparities,” adding, “We will do our best to create a healthy Dong-gu.”
For more information, contact Dong-gu Public Health Center Oral Health (032-770-5714), Vaccination (032-770-5725), Emergency Medical Services (032-770-5723), Maternal and Child Health (032-770-5712), and Dementia Prevention (032-772-6307).
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