Oh Se-hoon "Investing 612 Billion Won in Public Healthcare"... 'Seoul-type Public Hospital' to be Established in 2026

Oh Se-hoon Announces 'Plan to Expand Public Healthcare for Vulnerable Groups'... Strengthening Disaster Response and Medical Services for the Marginalized
Seoul-type Public Hospitals, Public Rehabilitation Hospitals, 2nd Disabled Dental Hospital, Boramae Hospital Safe Respiratory Specialist Center Established
Strengthening Comprehensive Hospital Functions at Seonam Hospital... Improving Medical Services for Vulnerable Groups through Modernization of Eunpyeong Hospital
Establishment of 'Seoul Disaster Medical Response Center (EOC)' for Sharing Private Medical Personnel and Resources in Disasters

Asia Exclusive_Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government will invest 612 billion KRW by 2026 to drastically innovate public medical infrastructure and services. A tentatively named 'Seoul-type Public Hospital' specialized in disaster response will be built in Seocho-gu, and a 'Safe Respiratory Specialist Center' equipped with high-pressure negative pressure facilities will be established at Boramae Hospital. Additionally, to strengthen public healthcare for vulnerable groups, new public rehabilitation hospitals and a second dental hospital for the disabled will be newly established.

Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced on the 6th the plan titled 'Expansion of Public Healthcare for Vulnerable Groups' and stated that he will complete 'Healthy Special City Seoul,' where every single citizen is protected within the scope of public healthcare without exception. Currently, public hospital beds account for only 10.3% of all hospital beds in Seoul, and the ratio of public hospital beds per 1,000 people is 0.86%, which is lower than the national average (1.24%). As a result, during each phase of the COVID-19 outbreak, Seoul inevitably faced limitations such as a shortage of intensive care beds and medical personnel.

The Seoul-type public healthcare expansion plan will be promoted through three areas and nine projects: ▲strengthening robust public medical infrastructure ▲enhancing warm public healthcare services that more carefully consider vulnerable groups ▲establishing a reliable public-private cooperation system to respond to citizens' crises.

First, a Seoul-type public hospital, a general hospital providing high-quality medical services, will be newly established in the southeastern region by 2026. Additionally, Seoul’s first ‘public rehabilitation hospital’ and ‘second dental hospital for the disabled’ will be constructed, and the ‘Boramae Hospital Safe Respiratory Specialist Center’ will be installed by 2024. The Seoul-type public hospital will be built as a general hospital with 600 beds (total floor area 91,879㎡) and will provide public medical services for residents of the southeastern region. It will be specially designed to serve as a crisis response control tower in emergency situations.

Seoul will simultaneously upgrade infrastructure and services for medically underserved groups, such as public rehabilitation hospitals and the second dental hospital for the disabled. The city plans to invest 95 billion KRW to build a 200-bed public rehabilitation hospital by 2026. To prevent the emergence of rehabilitation refugees caused by low accessibility and high costs of rehabilitation medical services, the hospital will provide professional and integrated rehabilitation medical services. Furthermore, the city will add one dental hospital for the disabled in the southwestern region by 2024. Boramae Hospital will receive an investment of 40 billion KRW to establish the Safe Respiratory Specialist Center. The center will secure 72 negative pressure beds equipped with advanced negative pressure facilities and specialized infectious disease medical equipment to strengthen infectious disease response capabilities.

The functions of municipal hospitals for vulnerable groups will be strengthened and medical services specialized to enhance expertise. Seonam Hospital will receive 42.5 billion KRW to upgrade beds and systems, strengthening essential medical services such as childbirth and rehabilitation. The hospital will also expand and newly establish departments including the central surgical unit, cardiovascular center, and neurosurgery to reinforce its role as a responsible medical institution for the southwestern region.

Eunpyeong Hospital will undergo modernization. Seoul plans to transform it into an optimal outpatient-centered hospital for mental illness, improving the treatment environment to expand mental health medical services and acute patient care. The city will integrate and relocate scattered mental health institutions such as the ‘Seoul Mental Health Welfare Center,’ ‘Dementia Prevention Center,’ and ‘Suicide Prevention Center’ to operate the ‘Seoul-type Integrated Mental Health Center,’ further strengthening mental health services for Seoul citizens.

Seobuk, Northern, and Eastern Hospitals will specialize their functions. Seoul’s Seobuk Hospital will strengthen its role as a specialized hospital for dementia seniors by supporting tuberculosis patients and designating itself as a dementia-safe hospital, transitioning from a tuberculosis and elderly specialized hospital. Northern Hospital will enhance hospice and integrated nursing care services to specialize as a Seoul-type elderly rehabilitation and nursing hospital. Eastern Hospital will expand functions such as the Alcohol Detoxification Center, strengthen medical services for the homeless, and focus on managing dialysis patients among vulnerable groups, expanding its role as a tailored medical service provider for vulnerable populations.

Moreover, Seoul will establish and operate the Seoul Disaster Medical Response Center (EOC), a system that shares private medical resources and personnel in preparation for disaster situations. The center will be built within the newly constructed Seoul-type public hospital and operated in cooperation with private hospitals. Reasonable compensation standards will be established to support mobilized private personnel and resources. Additionally, the city will promote the ‘Seoul-type Hospital Incentive Support Project,’ which provides incentives to private hospitals that offer public medical services.

Mayor Oh said, "Over the past two years, as we overcame crises marked by repeated waves of spread and decline, we have reaffirmed the value of public healthcare and clearly experienced its limitations. We will build a stronger medical safety net for vulnerable groups and complete 'Healthy Special City Seoul,' where everyone is protected within the scope of public healthcare.”

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