Naju City Emphasizes 'Optimal Location' in Competition to Attract New Construction and Relocation of Jeonnam National University Hospital

[Naju=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Naju City, Jeollanam-do (Mayor Kang In-gyu) has officially entered the competition to attract Jeonnam National University Hospital.

The city announced on the 1st that it launched the Hospital Construction Promotion Team at Jeonnam National University Hospital on the 28th of last month and formalized discussions on the new hospital construction and relocation.

The city emphasized that considering the improvement of the medical environment in Jeonnam region, geographical and transportation conditions, and linkage with industrial capabilities, Naju is the optimal location for attracting the new Jeonnam National University Hospital.

Mayor Kang In-gyu issued a statement saying, “The attraction of the new Jeonnam National University Hospital will be a golden opportunity to improve the poor medical conditions in the Jeonnam region,” and added, “Considering the public nature of a national university hospital, the new hospital should be relocated to the relatively underdeveloped Jeonnam area.”

He continued, “Jeonnam National University Hospital should be built at a transportation hub connecting Gwangju and Jeonnam,” and added, “Naju is adjacent to Gwangju and Muan Airport, has a high-speed train stop, and is the transportation center of central Jeonnam connected to Gwangju and Gangjin Expressways.”

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s health care status survey cited in Mayor Kang’s statement, the number of tertiary general hospitals per one million people in Jeonnam is 0.5, which is far below the national average of 0.8.

The number of doctors was also surveyed at 1,597, less than the national average of 1,890, indicating a need for medical facilities and personnel reinforcement.

Especially, if the ‘Gwangju-Naju Metropolitan Railway Network Construction Project’ promoted by Gwangju and Jeonnam is confirmed, Naju will emerge as a transportation hub connecting Gwangju and Jeonnam.

The city also highlighted the synergy effect of linking industrial capabilities between the city and Jeonnam National University.

Mayor Kang said, “The city’s industrial ecosystem, which is advancing toward becoming Korea’s energy capital along with 16 public institutions in Bitgaram Innovation City and the Korea Electric Power Corporation University scheduled to open in 2022, will be the foundation supporting the new hospital where patient-customized integrated treatment, cutting-edge healthcare convergence research, and world-class medical personnel training will take place,” and added, “We will strengthen the linkage between the state-of-the-art smart hospital, Jeonnam National University Hospital, and the regional industrial ecosystem.”

Meanwhile, this is not the first time Naju City has expressed its position on attracting Jeonnam National University Hospital.

When discussions on the new construction and relocation of Jeonnam National University Hospital arose in 2018, the city immediately formed a T/F team for hospital attraction and showed strong will by promising various administrative and financial incentives.

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