Nexon's support brings hope to families in need of children's rehabilitation

The Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in charge of treating the siblings celebrated its first anniversary last month. The hospital received a 10 billion won ($7.3 million) donation from Nexon in 2019 for its construction.

The Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital associated with Daejeon, Sejong and Chungnam regions, and funded by Nexon. [NEXON]

Mr. Lee lives in Daejeon with his two children, aged one and three.

Consistent rehabilitation therapy is essential for both children.

The older child, Min-hyung, showed delayed language development compared to peers, while the younger child, Min-ji, was born prematurely and suffers from hydrocephalus.

However, due to the lack of local facilities and the months-long waiting lists at university hospitals, receiving timely treatment was challenging.

Taking trips to Seoul with his children was an inevitable necessity for Mr. Lee.

They had to endure an exhausting schedule, leaving the house at 7 a.m. and returning as late as 9 p.m., up to three times a week.

The hospital waiting rooms were crowded with guardians and child patients from all over the country.

The chances of securing an appointment with a doctor seemed improbable.

Fortunately, when Mr. Lee was struggling to continue his children’s treatment, he discovered the Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital associated with Daejeon, Sejong and Chungnam regions, and funded by Nexon.

Min-hyung and Min-ji are currently receiving necessary treatments at the hospital’s day ward. Mr. Lee expressed optimistic sentiments.

The hospital is only 20 minutes away from their home by car, and the day ward has a much shorter waiting list, enabling more concentrated treatment at lower costs.

He also mentioned that he now feels relieved from the anxiety of searching for hospitals and that he can focus on his children’s treatment and happiness.

The Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in charge of treating the siblings celebrated its first anniversary last month.

The hospital received a 10 billion won ($7.3 million) donation from Nexon in 2019 for its construction.

It is the only hospital outside the capital area specializing in children’s rehabilitation and is the first public children’s rehabilitation facility in Korea.

Since its opening, approximately 20,000 child patients have received rehabilitation treatments from experts so far.

The hospital’s location offers easy accessibility for visitors from other regions, such as Jeolla and Gyeongsang as well.

There are 290,000 disabled children in need of rehabilitation treatments nationwide.

Yet only 6.7 percent, which is around 19,000 children, are receiving appropriate treatment.

The number of hospitals offering these services is extremely low compared to the high demand.

Consequently, the term “rehab immigrant” has emerged to signify child patients and their guardians who must travel long distances to different regions in search of medical support.

The Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital was constructed to solve this issue.

In 2016, Nexon donated 20 billion won to establish the Purme Foundation Nexon Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, the first specialized children’s rehabilitation hospital in Korea.

However, having only one children’s rehabilitation hospital in Seoul was insufficient to accommodate the number of child patients nationwide.

To improve access to rehabilitation treatment for patients and their guardians in provinces, Nexon decided to support a second children’s hospital.

The first result of this effort is the Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital in Daejeon.

The strength of the Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital lies in its various care and experience programs tailored to children with disabilities to help them adapt to school and local communities, alongside rehabilitation therapy tailored to their life cycle.

Through a comprehensive welfare system that integrates stable treatment, education and care, the hospital supports children with disabilities so they can thrive.

Additionally, psychological programs for guardians are available and pediatric departments accessible to non-disabled patients are operating as well.

The hospital has cutting-edge specialized therapy rooms, offering key programs like physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and respiratory rehabilitation therapy.

With advanced capabilities, the facility delivers effective and precise rehabilitation treatments.

These include hydrotherapy for enhanced joint mobility through water adaptation training, personalized gait robot therapy tailored to individual physical traits and upper limb robot therapy utilizing virtual reality training to assist everyday movements.

Programs coordinated with local communities and special education institutions are in active operation.

These include a school adaptation program centered around hospital-dispatch classes where special education teachers conduct classes within the hospital, as well as adaptation support for university admission and experiences with assistive devices, resulting in high satisfaction among patients and guardians.

Especially noteworthy is the barrier-free playground created with donations from citizens, which serves to improve awareness of disabilities through activities where children of all abilities can partake.

Since its opening a year ago, the Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital has been committed to ensuring that children and adolescents in need of rehabilitation can dream of a better future.

Nexon's aspiration has brought significant changes to the daily lives of patients and guardians, highlighting the importance of building infrastructure for children's rehabilitation that had previously been overlooked.

Nexon continues its support to establish such facilities in various regions beyond Daejeon. They have donated 10 billion won and 5 billion won, respectively, to fund the construction of the hospitals in Changwon and Mokpo.

With these efforts as groundwork, other rehabilitation facilities are set to be established in Gyeongsang and Jeonnam regions as well.

For the stable operation of the Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital, sufficient operating funds are vital.

Child rehabilitation services typically yield lower fees compared to the costs involved, resulting in deficits for the hospital, and the same has been true for this facility since its initial opening.

Hospital representatives stress the urgent need for attention and support from various sources, underscoring that the integrity of public health care cannot be compromised in pursuit of profitability.

Son Min-kyun, director of the Public Children’s Rehabilitation Hospital emphasized the necessity of “government support, such as financial aid, to ensure that more child patients can access quality rehabilitation medical services, education, and welfare programs through public children's rehabilitation hospitals.” She added that the establishment of supporting policies is important.

Nexon Foundation Chairman Kim Jung-wook said, “I am pleased that over the past years, children with disabilities and their families in the Chungnam region have been able to receive various rehabilitation therapies at an optimal time, alleviating the burdens they faced within local constraints.”

“As the health of children and adolescents, who will lead future society, is of paramount importance, we will continue to provide steadfast attention and support in the future,” Kim added.

BY JEONG SEONWU [jeong.seonwu@joongang.co.kr]