"Decision on Establishing Daejeon Medical Center in November... 'Expecting Uniqueness Over Economic Feasibility'"

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The possibility of establishing Daejeon Medical Center is expected to be decided in November.

According to Daejeon City on the 22nd, the Korea Development Institute (KDI) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance will hold the second issue adjustment meeting on the 23rd to assess the economic feasibility of establishing Daejeon Medical Center. The meeting will share the results of the economic feasibility analysis related to the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center.

However, the city anticipates that KDI will find it difficult to quantify the economic feasibility (cost-benefit) by considering both the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center and the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) at this meeting.

In fact, in the interim report of the preliminary feasibility study by KDI in July last year, it was concluded that the economic feasibility of Daejeon Public Medical Center did not meet the standard value of 1.0. Economic feasibility has thus become a stumbling block for the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center.

Nevertheless, the city shows optimism about the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center by attributing a ‘special nature’ to the spread of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

The logic is that the necessity of establishment can be appealed by adding the ‘special nature’ of infectious disease spread to conditions that were disadvantageous when considering only economic feasibility.

For example, in the comprehensive evaluation by the Ministry of Economy and Finance scheduled for mid-next month, the policy relevance and regional balanced development aspects of the project will be thoroughly evaluated, and the city expects that the special situation of COVID-19 will be reflected to support the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center.

Previously, the city also made efforts to pass the preliminary feasibility study. It submitted to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and others the derived benefit values such as preventing high-risk deaths from infectious diseases through the operation of Daejeon Medical Center and the expected benefits when converting beds within Daejeon Medical Center into isolation and negative pressure rooms.

Additionally, the fact that a bill has been proposed to exempt the preliminary feasibility study for the public medical system construction project is also a factor that raises the city’s expectations for the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center.

The final decision regarding the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center is expected to be made through KDI’s second adjustment meeting this month, the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s comprehensive evaluation next month, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance’s fiscal project evaluation committee in November.

A city official said, "If the plan to establish Daejeon Medical Center fails this year, it will become even more difficult to establish a public hospital in Daejeon," adding, "The city will do its best to make the establishment of Daejeon Medical Center possible by reflecting the special nature of infectious diseases such as COVID-19.”

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