"Caring Until the End of Life"... The Evolution of Muan County's Public Health Policy

Establishing Life-Cycle Health Management
From Prevention and Rehabilitation to Care and Well-Dying

Muan County, Jeonnam Gwangju Integrated Special City, is accelerating its initiative to become a "city of longevity with good health" by transforming the local public health policy paradigm from treatment-centered care to a life-cycle integrated health management system that encompasses prevention, health management, rehabilitation, care, and well-dying.

In 2021, the county’s proportion of elderly residents surpassed 20.3%, entering the super-aged society bracket. Since then, both the elderly and single-person elderly households have steadily increased, and the number of people with chronic diseases such as hypertension and diabetes has also risen rapidly.

Visiting Welfare Service. Provided by Muan County

Specifically, the hypertension diagnosis rate among those aged 70 and above stands at 60.1%, which is 31.4 percentage points higher than the overall average. The diabetes diagnosis rate is also 29.6%, 13.9 percentage points higher than the average for all age groups.

Reflecting these changes, the Muan County Public Health Center shifted its policy direction from "health focusing on treating diseases" to "health that prevents disease and maintains a healthy life."

A flagship initiative is the ICT Convergence Visiting Health Management Project.

By integrating an AI and IoT-based health management system into existing nurse-led home visits, the county has overcome limitations in time and staffing, and established a prevention-centered health management framework. Currently, 1,715 seniors are receiving services, which include frailty assessments, digital health management, and visiting rehabilitation programs.

In recognition of these achievements, Muan County was selected last year as an excellent institution in the Visiting Health Management sector of the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Integrated Health Promotion Program and received the Minister’s Award.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are leading causes of death locally as well. To address this, Muan County is expanding its "Know Your Vessel Numbers" campaign and is conducting blood pressure and blood glucose screenings, along with health consultations at universities, offices, and local festivals.

Health management for people with disabilities is also being strengthened. Currently, the county provides home rehabilitation, post-discharge patient management, and rehabilitation exercise programs for 293 registered disabled residents, supporting their return to daily life after hospital treatment.

Cooperation systems have also been established with welfare centers for the disabled, medical institutions, and universities. As a result, Muan County received the Minister of Health and Welfare's Award at this year’s Integrated Performance Contest for Health and Welfare for the Disabled.

Cancer management has also been organized as a cohesive system incorporating prevention, treatment, and recovery. In addition to supporting national cancer screenings, the county provides medical cost support for low-income cancer patients and operates self-help groups for home-based cancer patients.

By May of this year, 2,733 people had received national cancer screenings, and 17 low-income cancer patients were provided with medical cost support. The county is implementing an integrated management system that not only focuses on early detection but also assists patients' psychological recovery and reintegration into society after treatment.

Welfare Education Site. Provided by Muan County

The county is also expanding its well-dying program to support residents’ lives up to the very end. Counseling for life-sustaining treatment decisions and registration for advance directives on life-sustaining care are provided, and so far, 3,625 residents have registered their advance directives.

Participation in well-dying education is also increasing, with 293 participants last year and 94 participating in the first half of this year, raising awareness about end-of-life self-determination rights.

The county's public health policies are now focused not just on helping people live longer, but on constructing an integrated health management system that covers the entire life course—covering frailty prevention, chronic disease management, rehabilitation for people with disabilities, cancer management, and well-dying. The core is to enable residents to maintain healthy and dignified lives in their familiar communities.

Haengsuk Lee, Director of the Department of Health Promotion, said, "Going forward, community public health programs will develop beyond treatment, advancing into an integrated health management system that connects prevention, health management, rehabilitation, and care. We will continue to expand tailored health management services so that all residents can continue healthy and dignified lives in their own communities."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.