정부가 장애인의 의료 접근성과 재활·건강관리 체계를 전면적으로 강화하는 중장기 계획을 내놓았다.

보건복지부는 2026년부터 2030년까지 적용되는 「제1차 장애인 건강보건관리 종합계획」을 수립하고, “장애인 누구나 건강하고 행복한 삶 실현”을 목표로 본격 추진에 나선다고 밝혔다.

이번 계획은 ▲장벽 없는 의료이용 ▲재활을 통한 퇴원·지역사회 복귀 ▲2차 장애 예방 및 건강증진 ▲정책 인프라 구축 등 4대 전략, 12대 주요과제, 32개 세부 과제로 구성됐다.

△의료 문턱 낮춘다…‘장애친화병원’ 확대

우선 ‘아플 때’ 장벽 없는 의료이용을 위해 시·도별 1개소 이상 장애친화 의료기관 확충을 추진한다. 장애친화 산부인과, 건강검진기관, 발달장애인거점병원 등 개별 기능을 집적한 이른바 ‘장애친화병원’으로 발전·확대해 진료동행, 의사소통 지원, 전담창구 운영 등 편의성을 높일 계획이다.

또한 진료 과정에서 장애 특성이 충분히 반영되도록 건강보험 보상체계 개선을 검토하고, 의료기관 평가·인증 제도에 장애 친화 요소를 강화한다. 장애 당사자가 의료종사자를 직접 교육하는 방안도 포함됐다.

와상장애인을 위한 침대형 휠체어 탑승 가능 특별교통수단 도입, 간호·간병 서비스 개선 검토, 저소득층 보조기기 지원 확대 등 의료 관련 비용 부담 완화 대책도 병행한다.

△재활의료 확충…퇴원 후 지역 복귀 지원

‘회복할 때’ 전략으로는 거주지 인근에서 전문 재활치료를 받을 수 있도록 회복기 재활의료기관과 권역재활병원, 공공어린이재활병원·의료센터 등을 확충한다.

퇴원 이후에는 ‘장애인 의료·요양 통합돌봄 사업’을 단계적으로 확대하고, 자립지원 서비스를 제공한다. 시설 내 전문 의료·돌봄 서비스를 강화한 ‘의료집중형 거주시설’도 확대 지정할 계획이다.

아울러 지역 장애인 생활체육시설을 늘리고, 퇴원 후 체육활동이 어려운 장애인을 위한 재활운동 시범사업을 거쳐 전국 확산을 추진한다.

△건강주치의 활성화…맞춤형 건강관리

‘건강할 때’ 단계에서는 2차 장애 예방과 건강증진 지원을 강화한다. 방문재활 등 서비스를 다양화해 장애인 건강주치의를 활성화하고, 장애유형·생애주기·질환별 맞춤형 건강교육을 실시한다.

장애인 건강검진기관은 112개소 이상 운영하고, 유소견자에 대해서는 후속 진료 안내와 건강교육 등 사후관리를 체계화한다.

이와 함께 소수장애인 등록기준 개선, 발달장애아동 조기발견·개입 강화, 여성장애인 건강관리, 의료수어 표준화 등 장애 유형과 특성을 고려한 정책도 추진된다.

△데이터 기반 정책 추진

정책 인프라 구축도 병행된다. 지역사회건강조사와 감염병 실태조사에서 장애 여부를 구분해 조사하고, 건강보험 데이터를 심층 분석해 근거 기반 정책 수립을 강화한다.

또한 중앙 및 지역 장애인보건의료센터의 전문성과 역량을 높여 정책 개발과 지자체 지원 기능을 확대할 방침이다.

정부는 이번 종합계획이 의료 접근성 개선을 넘어, 장애인이 지역사회에서 건강하게 살아갈 수 있는 기반을 마련하는 출발점이 될 것으로 기대하고 있다.

The government has announced a comprehensive medium to long-term plan to significantly enhance the medical accessibility and rehabilitation and health management system for people with disabilities.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that they will establish the "First Comprehensive Plan for Disability Health Care Management" to be implemented from 2026 to 2030, with the goal of promoting "healthy and happy lives for all people with disabilities."

This plan consists of four major strategies, including ▲ barrier-free medical access, ▲ discharge and return to the local community through rehabilitation, ▲ secondary prevention of disabilities, and health promotion, and ▲ policy infrastructure development, comprising 12 main tasks and 32 detailed tasks.

△ Lowering the medical threshold... Expanding 'Disability-friendly Hospitals'

To ensure barrier-free medical access when individuals are unwell, the plan includes the expansion of at least one disability-friendly medical institution in each city and province. These so-called 'disability-friendly hospitals' will evolve and expand to integrate individual functions such as disability-friendly obstetrics and gynecology, health screening institutions, and developmental disability hub hospitals, with plans to enhance convenience through services like accompanying medical consultations, communication support, and dedicated service counters.

Additionally, the plan involves considering improvements in the health insurance compensation system to adequately reflect disability characteristics during medical processes, and strengthening disability-friendly elements in the evaluation and certification system for medical institutions. It also includes measures such as introducing special transportation vehicles that can accommodate bed-type wheelchairs for severe disabilities, evaluating improvements in nursing and care services, and expanding support for assistive devices for low-income individuals to alleviate medical-related financial burdens.

△ Expansion of rehabilitation medicine... Support for community return after discharge

Under the strategy of 'recovering,' the plan aims to expand recovery period rehabilitation medical institutions, regional rehabilitation hospitals, public pediatric rehabilitation hospitals, and medical centers to enable individuals to receive specialized rehabilitation treatment near their place of residence.

After discharge, the plan will gradually expand the 'Integrated Care Service for Disability Medical and Nursing' and provide independent support services. There are also plans to designate and expand 'medical-intensive residential facilities' that strengthen specialized medical and care services within facilities.

Furthermore, efforts will be made to increase the number of local disability sports facilities and promote nationwide dissemination of rehabilitation exercise programs for individuals with disabilities who find it challenging to engage in physical activities after discharge.

△ Activation of preventive healthcare... Tailored health management

At the stage of being 'healthy,' the plan aims to strengthen support for secondary disability prevention and health promotion. By diversifying services such as home rehabilitation, it seeks to activate disability health management and conduct tailored health education based on disability types, life stages, and specific illnesses.

The plan aims to operate more than 112 disability health screening institutions and systematize post-care management such as follow-up treatment guidance and health education for those with disabilities.

Additionally, policies considering disability types and characteristics will be pursued, including improving registration criteria for individuals with minor disabilities, enhancing early detection and intervention for children with developmental disabilities, managing the health of women with disabilities, and standardizing medical sign language.

△ Data-driven policy implementation

The plan also includes building policy infrastructure. It involves distinguishing disability status in community health surveys and infectious disease prevalence surveys, analyzing health insurance data in-depth to strengthen evidence-based policy formulation.

Moreover, the plan aims to enhance the professionalism and capabilities of central and regional disability health centers to expand policy development and municipal support functions.

The government expects that this comprehensive plan will not only improve medical accessibility but also serve as a starting point for establishing a foundation for people with disabilities to live healthy lives in their local communities.