Korea to Broaden Nurse Qualifications for Home Hospice Services

Government Loosens Nurse Criteria to Boost Home Hospice Access

SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Korea Bizwire) — The South Korean government is moving to ease staffing requirements for home-based hospice services in an effort to expand access to end-of-life care that allows patients to die with dignity at home.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a proposed amendment to the enforcement regulations of the Act on Hospice, Palliative Care, and Decisions on Life-Sustaining Treatment will be open for public comment until September 22.

The changes would allow nurses with at least three years of home-visit nursing experience to qualify for employment at home hospice centers — a step aimed at addressing chronic nurse shortages in the sector.

Currently, a medical institution must employ at least one nurse certified in hospice or home care, or with two or more years of relevant hospice experience, to be designated as a home hospice provider.

By expanding eligibility to include home-visit nursing experience, the ministry expects to make nurse recruitment more flexible and sustainable.

Officials said the measure reflects the growing demand for home hospice services amid a shortage of qualified nurses. “We want to broaden the pool of capable nurses who can work effectively in home hospice settings,” a ministry representative said.

Under the government’s second five-year hospice and life-sustaining treatment plan (2024–2028), the number of designated hospice centers — including pediatric and long-term care hospital facilities — is set to nearly double, from 188 in 2023 to 360 in 2028.

Home hospice institutions are projected to grow from 39 to 80 over the same period, as the country prepares for a rapidly aging population.

Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)