Small city's home recovery model a hit

SEOUL • Anseong, a small city south of Seoul that is leading in home recovery for Covid-19 infections, hopes to share its expertise with other regions as South Korea shifts its focus from hospitalisation to home-based treatment.

The city reported 79 cases yesterday, but its public healthcare system is equipped to handle up to 150 cases a day.

Anseong in Gyeonggi province is home to about 200,000 people.

It has recorded around 2,600 cases of Covid-19 so far. About 60 per cent of patients now recover at home. They are low-risk patients with mild or no symptoms, according to officials of the state-run Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Centre Anseong Hospital.

Patients will receive a home kit with items such as an oximeter, thermometer, medicine, diagnostic test kits and personal protective equipment.

A medical team of five doctors and 19 nurses will monitor their health through phone calls and a mobile phone app.

The hospital also runs a contactless outpatient clinic - with consultations done through glass doors and an intercom system.

With an imminent Omicron wave set to wreak havoc on the country's healthcare system, Anseong Mayor Bora Kim has voiced hope that the city's model for home recovery can be applied to other cities.

Mayor Kim told The Straits Times that Anseong was the first to develop a home recovery model at the local level as it has good public healthcare facilities and abundant medical expertise.

"Anseong city is working with our public health centre and other medical institutions on our home recovery model, and it is in full swing now after being launched last October," said the mayor.

Home recovery was first introduced in October 2020 at the national level. More than 211,000 patients have since recovered at home from the virus. As at this week, 68.8 per cent of patients are receiving treatment at home.