Number of New Hospice Users Exceeds 26,000 Last Year, Up 6.9% From Previous Year

The number of patients who newly used hospice care last year exceeded 26,000, showing an increase of nearly 7% from the previous year, data showed.

While the number of fulfilled decisions regarding the suspension or withholding of life-sustaining treatment also surpassed 80,000, the proportion of cases where patients' intentions were verified through advance statements or plans written in advance exceeded half.

According to the National Hospice and Palliative Care Annual Report published by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Hospice Center, and the National Agency for Management of Life-Sustaining Treatment, the total number of new hospice patients last year stood at 26,020, an increase of 1,702 (6.9%) from a year earlier.

New hospice users, primarily cancer patients (25,871 patients as of last year), have been increasing every year since 2020.

Hospice and palliative care is a specialized medical service that comprehensively evaluates and cares for not only the physical pain of terminal patients but also their psychological, social, and spiritual difficulties. Eligible diseases include acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in addition to cancer.

As of the end of last year, the total number of institutions providing hospice services stood at 194, an increase of six from a year earlier.

An increasing number of citizens are also deciding whether to implement life-sustaining treatments that only prolong the dying process without therapeutic effect.

According to the 2025 Life-Sustaining Treatment Decision System Annual Report, the total number of registrations for advance statements on life-sustaining treatment last year was 499,961 (186,391 men and 313,570 women), and the cumulative number of registrations since the implementation of the system in February 2018 reached 3,201,958.

Last year, the number of institutions registered to accept advance statements on life-sustaining treatment was 819, an increase of 59 from the previous year.

(Photo provided by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.