Chungbuk Province Establishes Dedicated Public Health Medical Team to Bridge Regional Healthcare Gaps

[Asia Economy (Chungbuk) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungbuk Province has established and is operating a Public Healthcare Team within the Health Policy Division of the provincial government since the 1st of this month.

According to the province on the 7th, the establishment of the Public Healthcare Team was a measure to respond to the increasing demand for regional public healthcare services and to reduce health disparities between regions. By having a dedicated team, the previously dispersed public healthcare tasks are integrated to improve work efficiency in line with changes in the policy environment.

Earlier, in July last year, the province conducted the nation’s first mid-term development plan research project for public health and medical care, analyzing the medical status of the Chungbuk region and inspecting the actual conditions of public health and medical projects. As a result, the Chungbuk Public Health and Medical Master Plan (2020?2024) was established.

Subsequently, the newly established Public Healthcare Team will be responsible for ensuring the smooth implementation of the master plan, including projects to strengthen the functions of regional base public hospitals under the Public Health and Medical Policy Division, management of public medical institutions, and the establishment of a Public Health and Medical Support Group.

The Public Healthcare Team has first allocated a budget of 13.9 billion KRW this year for function enhancement projects of regional base public hospitals such as Cheongju and Chungju Medical Centers. Plans include expanding the emergency and intensive care units and the screening center within Cheongju Medical Center, as well as expanding the rehabilitation and hospice wards and modernizing medical equipment at Chungju Medical Center.

Additionally, by designating Chungbuk National University Hospital as the responsible medical institution, the team will identify regional medical issues and perform roles in linking and coordinating essential medical services, thereby revitalizing the medical cooperation system within the region.

Kim Yong-ho, head of the Health Policy Division of the province, stated, “With the establishment of the Public Healthcare Team, we will strengthen the public nature of health and medical care. Through this, we will strive to eliminate medical disparities between regions and enhance regional medical capabilities.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.