South Korea faces regional gaps in community integrated care services

South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare has released its first comprehensive survey on community integrated care, revealing significant gaps in service supply between different regions. The study analyzed 16 key services across 229 municipalities, finding that while home care and disability support services have relatively high fulfillment rates, critical areas like home medical care centers (17.7%) and short-term protection (1.5%) face severe shortages.

A major finding is the disparity between general areas and regions experiencing population decline. Of the 59 municipalities identified as having high demand but low supply, 40 (67.8%) are in population-declining areas. In these regions, the fulfillment rate for home medical visits was only 10.7%, compared to 25.5% in general areas. Furthermore, the average travel distance to healthcare providers for people with disabilities was nearly double in declining regions (20.8 km) compared to other areas (10.9 km).

To address these inequities, the government plans to expand the number of home medical care centers from 463 to 650 by 2030. The Ministry will also integrate digital health management into home health services and increase specialized personnel for community-based rehabilitation. These findings will be incorporated into the national integrated care master plan and local government regional plans to ensure seamless medical and welfare services regardless of location.