Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital Designated as COVID-19 Dedicated Hospital, Treatment to Begin as Early as the 24th

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital in Gyeonggi-do, designated as a dedicated treatment hospital for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), will begin treating confirmed patients as early as the 24th.

On the 20th, Pyeongtaek City announced the operation plan for Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital as a dedicated COVID-19 treatment hospital during a non-face-to-face briefing. Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital plans to operate 140 treatment beds, including 20 beds for severe patients, 80 beds for moderate patients, and 40 beds for general high-risk patients. The hospital is currently undergoing internal facility improvement construction, and once the construction is completed on the 23rd, treatment of confirmed patients is scheduled to begin on the 24th.

The ongoing construction includes internal remodeling to completely separate the movement paths of medical staff and patients, and the installation of movable negative pressure devices for each bed to purify virus-containing air in specific areas before releasing it outside. It is known that about 20 specialists and 100 nursing staff are working at Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital, and Pyeongtaek City and the hospital have requested government support for medical personnel. So far, many medical professionals from across the country, including medical staff from the Daegu area, have reportedly requested to support work at Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital through the government and medical and nursing associations.

Jangseon Jeong, mayor of Pyeongtaek City, said, "Although businesses and citizens around Bakae Hospital are concerned about infection, there has not been a single case of infection caused by virus release around confirmed patient treatment hospitals or residential treatment centers so far," and added, "We will support the operation of the dedicated hospital with perfect facilities to prevent situations that citizens are worried about."

Byunggeun Kim, director of Pyeongtaek Bakae Hospital, said, "The assignment of patients will be decided by quarantine authorities, but I think patients from the Pyeongtaek area and the southern Gyeonggi region will be prioritized," and added, "Since our hospital is doing something that someone has to do for the first time, we ask for much encouragement from the citizens of Pyeongtaek."

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