An Evaluation of Public Responses Taken in the Area of Care Services after the Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread, the government worked to minimize care gaps with temporary response measures such as emergency care and child care coupons, while progress was sluggish in institutional efforts to ensure care in everyday life. Various attempts were made to bring changes to institutional arrangements, including providing public care through social service centers, expanding child care programs run by primary schools, establishing and operating community care centers, and widening the eligibility for the Disability Activity Support Benefit. The national and local governments have sought with these measures to move away from the pathway where social services and placements for institutional care were purchased by individuals toward care safety nets with increased public responsibilities. In the meantime, however, the government’s effort to strengthen the right to care remains incomplete due to a lack of investment. As a result, inadequacies in benefits and inefficiencies in service delivery remain. The care safety net should be further improved with a clear role division between the national and local governments, increased coverage, the fostering of reliable providers, and improved treatment of care workers.