Nowon District's "Sick Childcare Service" Passes First Round of Government Innovation Screening

One-Stop Service for Hospital Accompaniment and Bedside Care
Total Service Usage Reaches 8,474 Cases

The integrated care service for sick children operated by Nowon District in Seoul (Mayor Junoh Seo) has passed the first round of screening in the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Government Innovation Best Practices Competition.

On the 21st, Junoh Seo, Mayor of Nowon District, visited the Nowon Sick Child Care Center and spoke with the children using the center. Provided by Nowon District.

Nowon District announced on the 24th that the "Nowon Sick Childcare Center," which provides support from accompanying sick children to the hospital to bedside care, has passed the first round of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Government Innovation Best Practices Competition. An online public vote is currently underway for final selection.

This service is an integrated care system that provides both hospital accompaniment and bedside care for children who suddenly fall ill, in place of their guardians. The district launched a pilot program in 2019, which was then formally established. The service targets children from age 4 through elementary school age. Dedicated childcare professionals visit the location where the sick child is, take over their care, and accompany them from medical consultation to returning home, supporting not only regular and periodic checkups but also developmental therapy and psychological counseling.

The center’s resident nurses provide care programs and nursing, as well as guidance on medication. The hospital accompaniment service operates on weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., while bedside care is available on weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The service itself is provided entirely free of charge, but users are responsible for paying for medical fees, medication, and meals.

From the center’s opening in 2019 through August of this year, the cumulative number of registered members has reached over 4,600, with a total of 8,474 service cases. Of these, there were 6,366 cases of hospital accompaniment and 2,108 cases of bedside care. According to the district, the average user satisfaction rate over the past three years was 94.6%. Nowon District also reported that 23 local governments and related institutions nationwide have made inquiries about benchmarking the service.

On the 21st, Mayor Junoh Seo visited the Nowon Sick Childcare Center to check on its operations and listen to difficulties faced by staff. He then visited the "Ihyu Center," which provides after-school care for elementary students, and the "Children’s Dining Center" consecutively, to inspect the overall local child care system. The Ihyu Center, established by the district in 2018, now operates in 29 locations across the district. At the integrated centers combined with the Children’s Dining Center, both after-school care and meals are provided.

Mayor Junoh Seo stated, "The selection of the Sick Childcare Center as a candidate for Government Innovation Best Practices is the result of Nowon District proactively establishing and improving its care system. Moving forward, we will continue to create a robust local care system so that children can receive appropriate care not only when they are sick, but also for after-school care and meals whenever it is needed."

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