Gyeongnam Province Establishes Jinju Hospital of Gyeongnam Medical Center... Expanding Medical Services in Western Gyeongnam

Relocation and Reconstruction of Geochang and Tongyeong Red Cross Hospitals

A bird's-eye view of the planned site for Jinju Hospital, Gyeongnam Medical Center. [Image source=Gyeongnam Provincial Government]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gyeongsangnam-do is set to actively establish the Jinju Hospital of Gyeongnam Medical Center and build new facilities for the Geochang and Tongyeong Red Cross Hospitals.

On the 21st, Gyeongsangnam-do announced that it will build hospitals to provide high-quality medical services to residents in the medically underserved western Gyeongnam region and to respond to large-scale infectious diseases such as COVID-19.

According to the province, the expansion project for public hospitals in western Gyeongnam has been underway since 2019 following Gyeongsangnam-do’s public health care strengthening measures and the announcement of support plans for new and expanded public hospitals.

The project was also selected as a task for the 8th term of the provincial government and included in the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s national agenda.

A provincial official explained, “So far, we have secured the justification for the project by building consensus for its promotion and have completed procedures for determining national funding support and establishing project plans. In the 8th term, we have entered the practical implementation phase, including hospital establishment planning, detailed design, and construction execution.”

The province is accelerating the project by reinforcing specialized personnel in the facilities department within the relevant division to ensure solid project progress in line with the project timeline.

The Jinju Hospital of Gyeongnam Medical Center is planned to open in 2027 with 19 medical departments and 300 beds, located within the Jinju National Aerospace Industrial Complex.

Following a decision by the Cabinet meeting in December last year, the preliminary feasibility study was exempted, and the Ministry of Economy and Finance has been reviewing the appropriateness of the project budget from January to the end of November this year.

A provincial official stated, “Once the review results concretely determine the total project cost, national funding amount, and building scale, the project will gain momentum. We are preparing to carry out a medical and operational system establishment service in line with the completion of the appropriateness review.”

The medical and operational system establishment service includes ▲developing detailed plans for the medical center’s functions and roles, treatment plans, medical equipment plans, and organizational and personnel plans for hospital establishment ▲carrying out the architectural planning review process before the design competition and preparing to select architectural designs that align with the medical center’s identity.

The province posted a public notice for selecting a service provider on the 20th, and once the service provider is selected, the service will be conducted over 10 months starting in November. Based on the results, basic and detailed designs will proceed for 15 months from 2024.

The Tongyeong and Geochang Red Cross Hospitals, managed by the Korean Red Cross, are each planned to open in 2029 with approximately 300 beds.

The Korean Red Cross has been conducting a feasibility study research service since July 2021 to prepare a basic project plan following policy announcements by Gyeongsangnam-do and the government.

The research service is scheduled to conclude in December, but the site has not yet been finalized.

To expedite the project, the province held a meeting among related agencies at the Geochang County Health Center on the 4th, emphasizing the importance of close cooperation among institutions.

At the meeting, discussions were held on each agency’s progress and plans, and the formation of a consultative body to prepare for the preliminary feasibility study was agreed upon.

Kwon Yang-geun, Director of the Health and Welfare Bureau, said, “The western Gyeongnam public hospital expansion project involves massive national and provincial funding and benefits all residents of the western Gyeongnam region. We will focus administrative efforts to establish a competitive hospital that provides high-quality medical services at affordable costs and can be sustainably operated.”

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