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Busan Metropolitan City Named Top Performer in Medical Aid Program Evaluation and Recognized as an Excellent Institution for Fiscal Management

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Busan Metropolitan City Mayor Park Heong-joon announced that Busan Metropolitan City ranked first among the nation’s 17 metropolitan and provincial governments in the 2025 Medical Aid Program Evaluation conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, earning the designation of top-performing institution, and was also selected as an excellent institution in the fiscal management category of the 2024 Medical Aid Program.

The award ceremony will be held today, January 21, at 2:00 p.m. in the main auditorium of the Government Complex Sejong, hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The event will include the presentation of awards and the sharing of achievements through presentations of best practices by local governments.

In the Medical Aid Program Evaluation, the Ministry of Health and Welfare annually assesses overall performance across the Medical Aid program, including case management, home-based Medical Aid services, and the recovery rate of improper gains, as well as the level of effort demonstrated by local governments. Based on this evaluation, it selects top-performing and excellent local governments nationwide, with 2 top performers and 16 excellent institutions chosen among 18 local governments.

Busan Metropolitan City was selected as the top-performing institution, ranking first among the nation’s 17 metropolitan and provincial governments. In addition, Seo-gu, Busanjin-gu, and Haeundae-gu were named among the 16 excellent basic local governments, giving Busan the distinction of having the highest number of award recipients among all metropolitan governments.

In the Medical Aid Fiscal Management Evaluation, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has, since 2021, selected local governments that have made efforts to reduce expenditures and improve spending efficiency from both the beneficiary and medical service provider perspectives in response to rising Medical Aid medical expenses. Busan Metropolitan City was recognized as a top-performing institution in 2022 and as an excellent institution in 2023 and 2024, marking three consecutive years of awards.

This achievement reflects the city’s dedicated efforts, including the establishment of fiscal savings plans, the operation of a dedicated fiscal savings task force, and the consistent pursuit of annual fiscal savings targets. In 2024, fiscal savings achieved through case management of frequent outpatient users amounted to KRW 19 billion.

In particular, Busan Metropolitan City earned high evaluations in both categories for its comprehensive implementation of programs aimed at improving the health status of Medical Aid beneficiaries and for its efforts to secure fiscal soundness.

The city strengthened Medical Aid case management to prevent excessive and duplicate medical treatments and to guide beneficiaries toward appropriate use of medical services. It also expanded eligibility for home-based Medical Aid services that support long-term hospitalized beneficiaries in returning to community life after discharge and worked to minimize disparities among districts and counties. In addition, as a city-specific initiative, it operated the Yakjisolution program, which provides pharmacist consultation services to beneficiaries with frequent medication use.

Furthermore, the city reinforced cooperative linkages with public-sector case management programs to expand customized support for beneficiaries, encouraged Medical Aid recipients to undergo health screenings to raise participation rates, and strengthened health management through ongoing observation and monitoring.

The Medical Aid program provides medical services, including consultations, treatment, and examinations, for individuals facing financial hardship in addressing medical needs related to illness, injury, and childbirth. Currently, there are approximately 154,000 Medical Aid beneficiaries in Busan. A total of 492 Medical Aid managers are assigned across the city, districts, and counties to carry out case management tasks, and the program’s budget for this year amounts to approximately KRW 1.4 trillion.

Assistant Mayor Jeong Tae-gi of the Social Welfare Bureau stated that this achievement is the result of steady, on-the-ground efforts to improve the quality of life of Medical Aid beneficiaries and to operate limited financial resources efficiently. He added that Busan Metropolitan City will continue to pursue policies that strengthen both the right to health of Medical Aid beneficiaries and fiscal soundness, while striving to realize citizen-centered operation of the Medical Aid system and sustainable welfare administration.