Seongnam City Medical Center's 'Delayed Opening' on 27th... Opening Postponed Due to COVID-19

[Asia Economy (Seongnam) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Seongnam City Medical Center, the first in the nation to be established through a resident initiative, will hold an online opening ceremony over three days from the 27th to the 29th. Seongnam City originally planned to open the medical center in March but postponed the opening due to the spread of COVID-19.

On the first day, the 27th (Eve), the program will include a history of Seongnam City Medical Center, congratulatory videos for the opening, and performances by the Seongnam City Gugak Orchestra, Seongnam City Choir, and singer Na Tae-ju.

On the second day, the 28th (Main Event), there will be a congratulatory performance by the Seongnam City Symphony Orchestra, along with commemorative and congratulatory speeches. On the 29th (After Party), the schedule includes a dance performance by the Seongnam City Youth Foundation and a citizen talk concert.

Seongnam City Medical Center was built with a project cost of 169.1 billion KRW on a 24,711㎡ site of the former city hall in Taepyeong-dong, Sujeong-gu. The building has four basement floors and ten above-ground floors, with a total floor area of 85,684㎡. It has a total capacity of 509 beds.

The medical center attracted significant attention as the first in the country to be promoted through a resident initiative. However, after construction began in November 2013, the project was delayed due to the construction company's court receivership, resulting in a belated completion on February 11 of last year.

It was originally scheduled to open on March 17 but was designated as a national COVID-19 dedicated hospital, focusing on treating COVID-19 patients, which delayed the opening.

So far, Seongnam City Medical Center has treated 358 confirmed COVID-19 patients. Currently, 33 patients are hospitalized.

The medical center employs 69 specialists across 22 medical departments.

A city official introduced, "Seongnam City Medical Center is equipped with the latest medical equipment and facilities at a university hospital level and offers lower non-reimbursable fees than private medical institutions, allowing for affordable medical costs."

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