Lee Jae-Young, Chief of the Department of Health Policy from the South Korean Ministry of Welfare, revealed new plans for hospice and palliative care payment systems in a ‘Future of National Policies for Hospice and Palliative care’ parliament meeting held on 18 November 2014. The meeting was hosted by Senators Moon Jung-Rim and Kang Kil-bu.
Details of the new policy is expected to be revealed within the end of this year.
Currently in South Korea, hospice and palliative care services are limited to cancer patients. In 2013, only 12% (9,573 out of 70,534) of patients who died from cancer utilized hospice and palliative care services prior to death.
Experts agreed that the significant lack of payment scheme for these services works as a roadblock to expanding hospice and palliative care facilities in the country.
APHN thanked their member, Professor Hyun Sook Kim from the Department of Social Welfare, Korea National University of Transportation, for sharing the update.
For more information about APHN, please visit their website.
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