Yoon pledges enhanced support for premature babies
President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, speaks during a meeting with parents of premature babies at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, Seoul, Nov. 28. Yonhap
President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Thursday to bolster support for the birth, treatment and care of premature babies to help lessen the burdens on their parents.
Yoon made the pledge during his visit to Seoul St. Mary's Hospital to address concerns over a rising number of babies who were born before 37 weeks of pregnancy or weighing below 2.5 kilograms. Such premature babies are at higher health risks.
At a neonatal intensive care unit, he met with a parent of quintuplets born through natural conception in September, the first such case in Korea, and shared his personal story of being born as a preterm baby weighing 2.3 kg to a working mother.
"Premature babies often require long-term hospitalization in intensive care units immediately after birth, placing a heavy burden on their parents," Yoon said.
"The government will significantly enhance support across the entire process of childbirth, treatment and care for premature babies," he added.
During the visit, Yoon announced plans to establish maternal and child health care centers that provide integrated care in phases and sharply raise the current cap of 10 million won ($7,165) for medical expense support for premature babies.
The government will also change the eligibility criteria for support services by basing it on the expected delivery date rather than the birth date.
"Premature babies often spend several months in hospital incubators, and by the time they are ready to go home, the eligibility period for support services is often over or nearly expired," he said.
The plans also include increased financial support for intensive care units for newborns and high-risk pregnant women, along with better compensation for complex medical procedures, such as surgeries for extremely low birth weight infants.
Approximately 28,000 babies were born prematurely in 2023, accounting for over 10 percent of newborns, according to government data.
The initiative is part of the government's broader efforts to address the nation's record low birth rate, one of the lowest in the world.
The country's total fertility rate, indicating the average number of births per woman over her lifetime, stood at 0.76 in the third quarter. (Yonhap)