'Gyeonggi-do Style Residential Treatment Center' Opens for Mild COVID-19 Patients

[Asia Economy (Yongin) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province has opened a world-class "Living Treatment Center" to treat mild cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 19th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it held a signing ceremony for the operation of the Living Treatment Center at Hanwha Life Insurance Life Park (training center) in Cheoin-gu, Yongin, with Hanwha Life Insurance and Bundang Seoul National University Hospital.

Hanwha Life Park, which is being repurposed as a Living Treatment Center through simple remodeling, has a total of 160 rooms and consists of three buildings including a lecture hall and dormitory. It opened in May 2018. The province plans to sequentially admit about 60 of the approximately 180 patients currently hospitalized at Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center to this facility.

According to the agreement made on this day, the province will support the administrative personnel and necessary budget for operating the Living Treatment Center. It will also be responsible for restoring the facility to its original state after use.

Hanwha Life Insurance will provide the Life Park facilities for use as the Living Treatment Center. Bundang Seoul National University Hospital will dispatch medical personnel, provide medical equipment, and oversee the treatment and health management of admitted patients.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Lee Jae-myung said in his greeting, "We had to inevitably open the Living Treatment Center due to the expected shortage of medical facilities," adding, "This is not to replace hospitals but to provide a good living environment that substitutes for home, so that the admitted patients can receive treatment comfortably and return safely."

He continued, "As the COVID-19 situation is expected to continue for a considerable period, I believe we must now prepare for cohabitation," and expressed gratitude, saying, "I thank Hanwha Life Insurance for making the difficult decision to provide space, Bundang Seoul National University Hospital for medical support, and the citizens of Yongin for accepting the Living Treatment Center without difficulty."

The Gyeonggi Province-style Living Treatment Center operates as a "home substitute" rather than a "hospital substitute." By accepting patients in the recovery phase after hospital treatment, it aims to reduce management burdens and support smooth social reintegration by helping the psychological and emotional recovery of the admitted patients.

The center staff consists of 61 members in 4 teams, with 43 of them being resident personnel. Civil servants, medical staff, police officers, military personnel, and private contractors are involved, handling administration, waste management, medical support including psychological treatment, and emergency hospital transfer in case of severe patients.

Additionally, a joint support team of 14 members, led by Kim Ki-se, Director of the Provincial Autonomous Administration Bureau, manages and supports overall center operations.

Previously, the province launched a comprehensive support team to designate and prepare for the opening of the Living Treatment Center.

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