A Review of Maternal and Child Health Policies in South Korea

Abstract

·Korea is experiencing an increase in both low birth rates and the average age of mothers giving birth. ·The increase in maternal age is resulting in a deterioration of the maternity health index. ·Accordingly, the importance of policies focusing on the health of infants and expectant mothers is being emphasized. ·This paper aims to conduct a comprehensive review of the maternal and child health support policies being implemented in South Korea, based on the World Health Organization (WHO) classification to identify areas of improvement. ·In 2018, the WHO published a set of guidelines titled Nurturing Care for Early Childhood Development: A Framework for Helping Children Survive and Thrive to Transform Health and Human Potential. ·The WHO presented a framework for categorizing the scope of support for infants and expectant mothers based on the following criteria: The range of support is categorized into three groups ranging from all infants and caregivers to cases requiring specialized assistance, with corresponding levels of intervention intensity explained accordingly. ·Universal support program for all infants and parents (Table 1). ·Targeted support (Table 2) includes support for pregnancy and childbirth expenses, financial assistance for teenage mothers during pregnancy and childbirth, postpartum support, emergency welfare assistance for postpartum expenses, coverage of infant health check-up expenses for medical benefit recipients, provision of diapers and formula for low-income families, and the Nutrition-Plus Program. ·Indicated support (Table 3) includes support for childbirth expenses for women with disabilities, medical expense support for high-risk pregnancies, provision of medical expenses for screening and other necessary support for premature infants and infants with congenital disorders, congenital metabolic disorders, or congenital hearing loss, as well as projects to prevent blindness among preschoolers. ·Limitations of maternal and child health support policies in Korea ·Directions for Improving Future Policies