Full Support for General Hospital Expansion Urban Planning... Seoul City Implements 'Urban Planning Support Measures'

Relax Floor Area Ratio to Expand Half for Public Essential Medical Facilities such as Negative Pressure Beds, Emergency Medical Facilities, and Intensive Care Units
Encourage Participation by Installing Preferred Facilities in Private Hospitals, Including Convenience Facilities for Medical Environment Improvement and Research Facilities

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will implement comprehensive urban planning support measures to enable general hospitals, which play a key role in infectious disease response, to expand public essential medical facilities such as dedicated infectious disease beds.

On the 14th, Seoul announced the 'Urban Planning Support Measures for General Medical Facilities' and stated that it plans to complete the revision of the urban planning ordinance within the first half of this year to implement the support measures. There are a total of 56 general hospitals in Seoul. Among them, 21 hospitals face difficulties in expanding medical facilities such as infectious disease management facilities due to insufficient floor area ratio (FAR).

The support targets are general hospitals or general medical facilities designated as urban planning facilities, such as hospital-level medical institutions with 300 beds and more than seven clinical departments. Upon request from general hospitals in Seoul, the city will relax the floor area ratio in the urban planning ordinance up to 120%. If exceeding the floor area ratio makes it inevitable to upgrade the zoning district, support for zoning changes will be provided only within the planned expansion area.

Half of the relaxed floor area ratio must be used to install socially necessary medical facilities such as infectious disease management facilities including negative pressure beds, emergency medical facilities, and intensive care units to secure public essential medical facilities. The remaining half can be used to install facilities preferred by private hospitals, such as spaces required by hospitals, support and convenience facilities for improving the medical environment, and research facilities, in accordance with the revision of the Medical Service Act.

Additionally, to enhance execution, a detailed guideline called the 'Standards for Establishing District Unit Plans Supporting General Medical Facilities' containing design guidelines and standards for the planned expansion space will be prepared. The guideline includes minimum planning standards and spatial guidelines such as the floor area ratio system, land use planning, separation of infectious disease management facility flow lines, and a system that can be converted and mobilized in times of crisis. Public medical facilities secured through floor area ratio relaxation will be used for their respective purposes by hospitals during normal times but will be prioritized for mobilization in the event of crises or emergencies such as infectious diseases to strengthen the medical system, with cooperation during the development process.

Meanwhile, Seoul predicted through simulations targeting hospitals eligible for the support measures that it would be possible to additionally secure public essential medical facilities equivalent to about two general hospitals. Negative pressure isolation rooms and intensive care beds for infectious disease response are also expected to increase by approximately 1.5 to 2 times.

Choi Jin-seok, Director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government Urban Planning Bureau, said, “If the urban planning support measures are applied, it is expected to minimize the suffering of families who have to go to provincial hospitals due to bed shortages in Seoul and reduce citizen damage, greatly aiding the preparation of beds for critically ill patients. This has created an opportunity to expand the medical system in preparation for the national disaster of medical crises.” He added, “In the future, we will spare no urban planning support to improve citizens' quality of life and strengthen urban competitiveness for non-profit essential urban planning facilities such as medical and educational facilities.”

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