Daegu City Provides Additional 10 Billion Won Support This Year to Daegu Medical Center, the Frontline of COVID-19 Response

"An Additional 32.2 Billion Won Invested by 2023 to Expand Essential Medical Facilities"

The photo shows letters supporting the medical staff of Daegu Medical Center displayed in the lobby of Daegu Medical Center on March 16 last year.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Dong-wook] Daegu City announced on the 7th that it will provide an additional 10 billion KRW in funding this year to Daegu Medical Center, which is facing financial difficulties on the front lines of the COVID-19 response.

In addition to 9 billion KRW (100% city funds) for operating expenses related to COVID-19 response such as public isolation bed management, an additional 500 million KRW (100% city funds) will be provided to support operational losses incurred in maintaining the public medical system as public medical service deficits.

Following Daegu Medical Center’s new selection in February for the Regional Responsibility Medical Institution project led by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, project funds of 370 million KRW (50% national funds, 50% city funds) will also be delivered.

Separately, Daegu City plans to continuously support the budget for personnel wages (100% city funds) for specialized staff, and function enhancement projects (50% national funds, 50% city funds) to reinforce the personnel, equipment, and facilities necessary to provide essential medical services.

Wages for reinforcing specialized personnel amounted to 2.36 billion KRW from 2019 to 2020, and the city stated that in addition to the related budget of 1 billion KRW in the first half of this year, it plans to increase support through supplementary budgets.

Furthermore, projects to expand essential medical facilities such as intensive care units and operating rooms, and to rearrange medical spaces to secure patient-centered convenient flow paths will be promoted. Facility plans for phases 1 and 2 have been prepared, with 20 billion KRW invested in phase 1 by 2022, and an additional 12.2 billion KRW planned for phase 2 in 2023.

Mayor Kwon Young-jin said, "Although these are difficult times due to COVID-19, we will spare no support to ensure that Daegu Medical Center, the regional responsibility medical institution trusted and visited by many citizens, can be strengthened through facility and equipment improvements as well as reinforcement of specialized medical personnel."

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