Chungnam Province Completes 'Blueprint' for Naepo New Town General Hospital

The blueprint for the construction of the Naepo New Town General Hospital has been completed.

On the 6th, Chungnam Province held the "Final Report Meeting on the Feasibility Review and Criteria Establishment Research Service for Funding Support of the Naepo New Town General Hospital Construction Project."

The research service was conducted prior to the construction of the general hospital to analyze ▲regional medical demand ▲appropriateness of the hospital scale ▲financial profitability ▲specificity of the project plan and regional ripple effects ▲necessity and feasibility of provincial funding support ▲preparation of administrative procedures such as central investment review.

Based on the research results, Myongji Medical Foundation prepared a basic plan and submitted it to Chungnam Province, which then requested a feasibility study for the local fiscal investment project from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

According to the basic plan, Myongji Medical Foundation plans to build an 11-story general hospital on a 34,155㎡ site (with a total floor area of 36,960㎡) in Naepo New Town, with a budget of 280.741 billion KRW, aiming to open in March 2026.

The hospital will ultimately have 500 acute and recovery beds and 50 intensive care unit beds. The medical departments will include 26 specialties such as Infectious Diseases, Cardiology, Gastroenterology, Pediatrics and Adolescents, Neurology, Family Medicine, Orthopedics, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Emergency Medicine, Dentistry, and Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine.

Additionally, five centers will be established: the Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Center, Gastroenterology Center, Breast and Thyroid Center, Regional Emergency Medical Center, and Health Screening Center.

The 24-hour Pediatric Emergency Center was initially planned to be established once hospital operations stabilize after opening. However, Chungnam Province is currently discussing with Hongseong and Yesan counties to support the establishment and operation of the Pediatric Emergency Center simultaneously with the hospital opening.

The staff to be assigned to the general hospital will total 859, including 80 specialists, 500 nursing staff, and 279 other personnel.

The primary medical service area is set as Naepo New Town and Hongseong and Yesan, with secondary service areas including five cities and counties: Boryeong, Seosan, Dangjin, Cheongyang, and Taean.

In the first year after opening, Myongji Hospital plans to address unmet medical demands within the region through outpatient and inpatient care by department, and link high-difficulty severe disease treatments with the main hospital.

From the second year onward, specialized medical centers will be established to strengthen severe disease treatment and develop unique medical service areas exclusive to the Naepo hospital.

The financial forecast predicts a deficit of 31.527 billion KRW over the first three years after opening.

Funding support for the general hospital construction by Chungnam Province is possible up to 70% of installation costs, with a maximum of 106 billion KRW (based on a general hospital with nine medical departments and over 100 beds), according to the "Special Act on Urban Construction and Support for the Relocation of Chungnam Provincial Government and its Enforcement Ordinance."

The economic impact of Chungnam Province’s 106 billion KRW support for the hospital establishment is estimated to generate 522.6 billion KRW in production inducement, 205.9 billion KRW in added value inducement, and 2,566 jobs.

The annual benefit costs from operating the general hospital are estimated at 53.382 billion KRW, including ▲time savings of 5.591 billion KRW ▲transportation cost savings of 7.771 billion KRW ▲improvement in emergency patient mortality valued at 22.483 billion KRW ▲benefits from reduced infectious disease mortality of 8.149 billion KRW.

The research results will be used as reference materials for the local fiscal feasibility study.

Chungnam Province and Myongji Medical Foundation plan to sign a legally binding Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) within this year and start hospital construction next year after undergoing central investment review.

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