Government to fund 24/7 care for burns, childbirth, pediatrics, and more

The project to strengthen the 24-hour medical treatment system in essential specialties, such as burns, finger reattachment, pediatrics, labor and delivery, and cerebrovascular care, will become a permanent program following a three-year pilot from 2026 to 2028.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Monday that it had selected 30 institutions to initiate the “Essential Specialized Function Enhancement Support Project” and has begun full-scale preparations.

The essential specialty function refers to maintaining a 24-hour care system in a specific field even if it does not perform overall emergency functions. It is meaningful that it solves nighttime and holiday medical needs in the region.

Accordingly, five fields -- burns, finger reattachment, labor and delivery, pediatrics, and cerebrovascular care -- were selected as priority targets for the project, based on a comprehensive consideration of areas of insufficient supply or demand, the need for treatment during golden hours, and areas where local secondary hospitals are primarily responsible for or have a high need for medical care.

The selection criteria are whether the hospital has basic medical capabilities in these fields and maintains 24-hour medical care. Specifically, the volume of medical treatment in the field ranks in the top 30th percentile among all medical institutions. Evaluation certification and night and holiday medical treatment performance are also requirements.

If selected as a support project for strengthening essential specialty functions, hospitals must maintain a 24-hour medical treatment system, including holiday and nighttime clinics, for their essential specialty areas. They must also establish a patient linkage and cooperation system with nearby tertiary general hospitals, comprehensive secondary hospitals, and regional hospitals.

Thirty institutions were selected after the ministry received applications from June 5 to 20. They comprise five burn centers, eight finger reattachment centers, 15 labor and pediatric centers, and two cerebrovascular centers.

Participating hospitals will receive subsidies for operating 24-hour medical care. The subsidy will be paid based on the 24-hour treatment plan and actual treatment history.

In addition, incentives will be paid for excellent performance of essential specialized functions that exceed the current fee-for-service system's limits. The incentives will be evaluated based on the performance of the night and holiday care, the performance of accepting patients transferred through the wide-area situation rooms, the number and percentage of patients who requested medical treatment at a tertiary general hospital or comprehensive secondary hospital, and patient satisfaction.

These hospitals will also be included in the emergency transportation system, allowing them to refer patients to participating hospitals if necessary for transfer from the situation rooms. Each participating hospital will display its hours and areas of operation, allowing patients to identify them.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to implement it as the main project after a three-year pilot period from 2026 to 2028, following a preparation period later this year. Participation will not be limited to one time, but additional hospitals will be selected each year.

“The Essential Specialized Function Enhancement Support Project aims to foster hospital-level medical institutions that serve as a backbone to strengthen local healthcare,” said Lee Jung-kyu, director-general of the Health Insurance Policy Bureau. “We expect to further improve the quality of regional healthcare by responding to emergencies immediately and providing patients with appropriate medical care around the clock.”