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Busan Metropolitan City Selects Seven Additional Facilities for Infection-Safe Care Accreditation, Bringing Total to 10

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Chun Jae-soo) announced that it has selected seven additional nursing homes for accreditation under the Busan Accreditation for Safe Infection Care (BASIC) program, the nation's first initiative of its kind, introduced in partnership with the Busan Social Service Agency.

Following the accreditation of three facilities in 2025, the city has selected seven additional facilities in 2026, bringing the total number of accredited infection-safe care facilities in Busan to 10.

The seven newly accredited facilities are Gijang Silver Home (Gijang-gun), Muryangsu Nursing Home (Dongnae-gu), Busan Metropolitan City Senior Health Center (Sasang-gu), Songwon Specialized Nursing Home for the Elderly (Dong-gu), Inchang Dong-gu Nursing Home (Dong-gu), Inchang Silver Well (Saha-gu), and Hyoseong Senior Health Center (Gijang-gun).

The facilities are listed in Korean alphabetical order.

Accreditation is valid for three years. The city plans to provide each accredited facility with infection control funding ranging from KRW 5 million to KRW 10 million and conduct annual infection control monitoring.

The Busan Accreditation for Safe Infection Care (BASIC) program is a locally tailored, implementation-focused accreditation system introduced by Busan Metropolitan City in 2025 as the first of its kind nationwide. It is designed to help nursing homes establish environments that protect residents from infectious diseases and ensure that systematic infection control becomes part of their daily operations.

The program represents a public service model that moves away from mandatory, regulation-oriented assessments and instead encourages voluntary participation and practical improvements at nonmedical care facilities.

Its objectives are to create a care environment in which residents and their families can feel reassured, promote voluntary infection prevention activities at care facilities, and prevent the spread of infectious diseases within local communities.

This year's accreditation review was conducted through a rigorous process, with applications received from 21 nursing homes.

The city held an information session in May to recruit participating facilities. Following preliminary screening, two rounds of preliminary consulting for each facility, facility self-assessments, on-site inspections, and deliberations by the Accreditation Review Committee, seven facilities that met the accreditation standards were ultimately selected.

Accreditation is granted to facilities that score at least 70 points in an assessment conducted after receiving preliminary consulting tailored to their specific circumstances. The assessment criteria consist of 33 items developed over seven months by the Busan Public Health and Medical Support Team through advisory meetings and on-site inspections involving infectious disease experts, nursing home directors, city officials, and representatives of the Busan Social Service Agency.

This year's assessment comprehensively examined infection safety across care facilities, including infection control practices, facility environments, staff training, and response systems. Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening on-site infection control capabilities beyond simply evaluating facilities, with recommendations for improvements tailored to each facility's circumstances.

Meanwhile, the city will hold a ceremony to present accreditation certificates and plaques to the selected facilities at 3 p.m. on October 21 in the main conference room on the 10th floor of the Busan Water Authority.

Attendees will include the Director General of the Citizen Health Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, directors of accredited facilities, the President of the Busan Social Service Agency, the Vice President of the Association of Elderly Welfare Facilities, and representatives of nursing homes.

The ceremony will feature the presentation of accreditation certificates and plaques, a progress report on the accreditation program, and presentations highlighting experiences of participating facilities.

In addition, training on effective communication in infection control settings will be provided to strengthen the communication skills of staff responsible for infection control at nursing homes.

Starting next year, the city aims to identify and accredit 10 additional facilities annually, with the goal of accrediting 50 nursing homes by 2030, representing approximately 50 percent of all nursing homes in Busan.

Building on the program's achievements to date, the city plans to continuously refine its accreditation criteria and operating system while gradually expanding the number of accredited facilities, further strengthening the community care safety network with a focus on infectious disease prevention.

Cho Gyu-yul, Director General of the Citizen Health Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, said, "The Busan Accreditation for Safe Infection Care program is the first initiative of its kind in the nation, designed to raise infection control standards in care settings to a new level."

He added, "We hope this accreditation will enhance the sense of responsibility and pride among accredited facilities and help spread safe care environments that protect against infectious diseases throughout the community. We will continue working to make Busan a healthy, infection-safe care city that residents can trust."