Medical Care Provided to 350 Residents at the Yongju-myeon Administrative Office in Hapcheon
By Lee Dae-woong
Published: July 28, 2009, at 7:27 a.m.
Older residents with limited access to healthcare filled the temporary clinic to receive treatment from a range of medical departments. Photo courtesy of Good People.
The Good People Medical Volunteer Team recently provided medical services to approximately 350 residents in Hapcheon, South Gyeongsang Province.
Led by Dr. Gyung Bai Choi of JC Bitsomang Eye Clinic, the team comprised 15 medical professionals and approximately 40 volunteers.
At a temporary clinic established in the Yongju-myeon Administrative Office in Hapcheon, the team provided approximately 2,700 consultations and treatments in internal medicine, surgery, otolaryngology and traditional Korean medicine. Hairdressing and personal grooming services were also offered.
Local residents filled the clinic even before the volunteer team arrived, expressing their gratitude and saying, “We are deeply thankful that you came all the way from Seoul to this distant community.”
One elderly woman said, “I am deeply moved to see people volunteering for older residents like us. At a hospital, I can usually visit only one department at a time, but here I can receive care for all the health problems that have been troubling me. I am very grateful.”
Another elderly woman expressed her appreciation, saying, “All the medical staff members are very kind.”
Shim Eui-jo, Mayor of Hapcheon County, visited the outreach site and said, “We are grateful that the team came to our community, where many older residents live, and shared such warmth and compassion.”
Good People’s Medical Outreach of Love provides weekly medical services to medically underserved groups in Korea, including older residents in remote rural and mountainous communities, grandparent-headed households, older adults without family support, migrant workers and people experiencing homelessness. The organization also conducts an expanded summer medical outreach program each year.
