Establishment of Public Hospital in Western Gyeongnam Confirmed for Exemption from Preliminary Feasibility Study

Passed Ministry of Strategy and Finance Evaluation Committee Review After Cabinet Meeting Approval on the 28th

Gyeongnam Provincial Government Office.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Sang-hyun] The construction of a public hospital in Western Gyeongnam has been finally confirmed as exempt from the preliminary feasibility study.

On the 28th, the government held a Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum and resolved to exempt the preliminary feasibility study for the establishment of the Western Gyeongnam public hospital, which was confirmed by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee.

With this, the construction of the Western Gyeongnam public hospital, a campaign pledge of the 7th Gyeongnam Provincial Government and a long-cherished project of the residents, has been put on the right track two years after the start of public discussion.

To improve the poor public medical system in Western Gyeongnam, the "Public Discussion on Expanding Public Healthcare in Western Gyeongnam through Social Consensus" officially began after the operation committee was formed in January last year.

A democratic procedure and sufficient deliberation process were also conducted, including four rounds of discussions by a 100-member citizen participation group after preliminary learning. In July last year, the Public Discussion Council on Expanding Public Healthcare in Western Gyeongnam delivered a policy recommendation, including the proposal of three candidate sites, to the governor, concluding the public discussion process.

Subsequently, to faithfully implement the recommendations, the Public-Private Cooperation Committee for Expanding Public Healthcare in Western Gyeongnam was formed in October 2020.

On December 13 of the same year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare expressed strong will to promote exemption from the preliminary feasibility study for the Western Gyeongnam public hospital establishment project through the "Plan to Strengthen the Public Healthcare System."

To meet the "Schedule for Promoting Exemption from Preliminary Feasibility Study," agreed upon with the government, a feasibility study research project had to be conducted, and site selection was a key prerequisite for carrying out the research.

Accordingly, in January, the province went through sufficient consultation processes, including gathering opinions from candidate site municipalities, the Public-Private Cooperation Committee for Expanding Public Healthcare in Western Gyeongnam, and the Gyeongsangnam-do Public Healthcare Policy Deliberation Committee, to form a site evaluation committee and prepare evaluation criteria.

In February, the "Western Gyeongnam Public Hospital Establishment Candidate Site Evaluation Committee" was held twice, confirming the old Yeha Elementary School area in Jeongchon-myeon, Jinju City, as the site for the Western Gyeongnam public hospital.

From March, a seven-month "Western Gyeongnam Public Hospital Establishment Operation Plan Development and Feasibility Study Research Project" was conducted, establishing a business plan for 300 beds and 19 medical departments.

In October, after the "Western Gyeongnam Public Hospital Establishment Deliberation Committee" reviewed and resolved the establishment feasibility, the project plan and the request for exemption from the preliminary feasibility study were submitted following consultation with the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Subsequently, in November, the Ministry of Health and Welfare completed consultations with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and on the 28th, the exemption from the preliminary feasibility study for the Western Gyeongnam public hospital establishment project was finalized through resolutions at the Cabinet meeting chaired by the Prime Minister and the Ministry of Strategy and Finance's Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee.

The province plans to swiftly carry out administrative procedures such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's "Central Investment Review for Local Finance" from October to December once the project scale and budget are finalized through the "KDI Project Plan Adequacy Review" from January to September 2022.

In 2023, after conducting medical and operational system research and detailed design, construction is scheduled to begin in 2025, with completion and opening planned for 2027.

Kwon Yang-geun, Director of the Provincial Welfare and Health Bureau, said, "The confirmation of exemption from the preliminary feasibility study for the Western Gyeongnam public hospital is the result of the combined efforts of residents, various civic groups, and local political circles," adding, "We will establish the hospital as planned and devote all efforts to responding to new infectious diseases such as COVID-19 and resolving the medical environment imbalance in the Western Gyeongnam area."

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