Health ministry discusses plan to formalize nursing-hospital caregiver services

The health ministry said Thursday it will pursue formalized caregiver services at nursing hospitals, seeking a stable caregiver workforce and higher-quality care.

Lee visited Seoansan No-in Jeonmun Hospital and met medical providers and academic experts to discuss the plan. The hospital directly hires, trains and manages caregivers under a caregiver-support pilot that runs in 10 regions and 19 institutions from April 2024 through the second half of 2026. It provides partial national support for caregiving costs to severely ill patients who pass an integrated assessment.

Participants said direct employment was important for care quality and patient safety. They also discussed caregiver recruitment, training and working conditions, service-quality management and system improvements, expected implementation challenges and possible policy support.

"Formalizing caregiver services at nursing hospitals is key to easing burdens on patients and families while ensuring and fostering a stable, skilled caregiver workforce that can provide quality services," Lee said.

"For formalized caregiver services at nursing hospitals to take root, an institutional foundation must ease the burden on patients and guardians, allow caregivers to work steadily and let hospitals manage them responsibly," Lim Seon-young, the hospital's chair, said.

At a public forum in July, the Ministry of Health and Welfare discussed a medical-centered nursing-hospital system, patient-selection criteria for caregiving benefits and ways to reduce care costs. It proposed finalizing the plan this year and beginning implementation in the first half of next year.