President's Office "Double the limit on medical expenses for children up to 20 million won"

The limit of medical support for premature babies born under 37 weeks or under 2.5 kilograms of birth weight will be increased by up to two times.

Yoo Hye-mi, senior presidential secretary for low birth response, held a briefing today and announced that the limit of medical expenses will be doubled and raised to up to 20 million won when using the neonatal intensive care unit for premature babies.

It also said it has established measures to specialize in low birth rates for premature babies, including the establishment of two central severe maternal and child medical centers as the top institutions to treat complex mothers and newborns professionally.

In response, the government will increase the number of medical policies for newborns and high-risk pregnant women in intensive care units at medical institutions participating in the restructuring project of advanced general hospitals and strengthen compensation for high-level medical practices for newborns.

The government has decided to expand the project, which continues to be managed by experts after the premature baby is discharged from the hospital, from some local governments to the whole country starting next year.

In addition, the beneficiary period of neonatal health and welfare services will be adjusted based on the expected date of childbirth to prevent the disadvantages of early children who are hospitalized in intensive care for a long time from missing out on benefits.

In the wake of the birth of five twins this year, Chief Yoo said, "We have prepared a comprehensive measure for the whole process of safe delivery, treatment, development and rearing of premature babies," adding, "This is the first measure in history for low birth rates specialized in premature babies."