Ministry of Health and Welfare inspects heatwave response at disability facility

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Friday it inspected heatwave protections at Noaui Jip, a residential facility for people with severe disabilities, as prolonged heat conditions required measures to protect residents' health.

Cha Jeon-gyeong, the ministry's director general for disability policy, visited the facility in Jeondong-myeon in Sejong City, gathering views from operators and reviewing residents' health management and emergency contact arrangements. The ministry said it was checking whether heatwave response systems were operating appropriately under emergency level 2, activated by the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters at 1 p.m. on Aug. 2.

Amid nationwide heatwave conditions, the ministry said residents need health management, properly maintained cooling equipment, sufficient water and rest to prevent heat-related illness, while staff need to be able to work safely.

"Recent climate change is prolonging heatwaves, making it more important than ever for residential facilities for people with disabilities to put residents' health and safety first," Cha said. She called on facilities to prepare safety measures, including evacuation shelters for emergencies such as power outages.

Cha thanked workers at residential facilities for their efforts to protect the health and safety of people with disabilities and said the ministry would continue providing necessary support so residents can live in safe environments.

The ministry's facility-improvement program supports environmental upgrades at aging disability residential facilities, including cooling-equipment replacements. Its 2026 facility-improvement budget is about 4.5 billion won ($3.17 million), allocated in the ministry's June summer protection plan to support repairs and renovations. After surveying demand for emergency replacements on Aug. 4, it received applications from two facilities and plans to move quickly so residents' health management is not disrupted.