Jung Mong-koo Foundation and Korea University Medical Center Introduce 'Mobile CT Bus' for COVID Testing

[Asia Economy Reporter Suyeon Woo] The Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation and Korea University Medical Center are producing a mobile CT bus to establish a 'mobile hospital system' for testing the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19).

On the 9th, the foundation and the medical center held a business agreement ceremony for the 'OnDream Mobile Hospital Construction' project to produce a mobile CT screening bus. In the early stages of COVID-19 infection without symptoms, CT scans are faster and more accurate than X-rays and RT-PCR (COVID-19 tests), but expensive CT equipment is sensitive to movement and is usually used only as fixed devices in hospitals. Accordingly, the foundation plans to collaborate with the medical center to introduce mobile CT equipment and produce a special bus considering radiation shielding and disinfection, to be deployed for COVID-19 testing in medically underserved areas.

Although there have been cases domestically and internationally of introducing mobile CT buses, these were merely simple installations. In this project, for the first time in Korea, the CT device will be redesigned as a mobile unit, and a bus will be produced considering the flow and spatial facilities for infectious disease response.

Since 2014, the foundation has produced the 'Kkumssi Bus' with the medical center for mobile screening and treatment, providing free medical services to over 43,000 people until last year. This year, they plan to produce a mobile CT bus for precise infectious disease diagnosis and operate it simultaneously with the Kkumssi Bus to establish a 'mobile hospital system' that integrates support from disease diagnosis to treatment.

Kwon Oh-gyu, Chairman of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation (right in the photo), and Kim Young-hoon, Vice President for Medical Affairs at Korea University Medical Center, signed a business agreement for the 'OnDream Mobile Hospital Construction' project at Korea University Medical Center on the 9th and are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation

Gwon Oh-gyu, Chairman of the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation, said, "We expect this project to grow into a representative social contribution project in the healthcare field and to become another advanced success case of K-quarantine," adding, "We will continue to carry out diverse and practical customized projects for neighbors in blind spots of medical services."

Kim Young-hoon, Vice President of Korea University Medical Center, responded, "I believe this proactive activity will contribute to bringing the end of COVID-19 closer by even one day," and said, "Through various collaborations with the Hyundai Motor Chung Mong-Koo Foundation, we will do our best to realize the social value of protecting public health."

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