Gumi-si, the Only 'Neonatal Intensive Care Center' in the Province to Be Established

Selection of Operators Underway for ICUs with 5 or More Beds

365-Day Emergency Delivery and High-Risk Neonatal Intensive Care Available

Gumi City in Gyeongbuk Province is promoting the opening of the ‘Gumi-type Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU)’ to ensure that high-risk newborns in the Gyeongbuk region receive systematic and specialized treatment.

Gumi-type Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is a medical facility responsible for treating high-risk newborns, aiming to improve treatment accessibility by providing stable and continuous care to all newborns with high mortality rates, i.e., high-risk newborns.

Through the operation of the NICU, the city plans to provide high-quality medical services to high-risk mothers and newborns nationwide who are in serious medical blind spots due to a shortage of specialists.

Although the number of high-risk newborns is increasing annually due to factors such as delayed childbirth age, an increase in premature births, and multiple births resulting from assisted reproductive technologies, private medical institutions avoid establishing and operating NICUs, which require advanced equipment and specialized personnel, citing financial losses. Currently, there are no such facilities in Gyeongbuk.

Recognizing the importance of medical facilities that improve newborn survival rates alongside policies to increase the number of births, Gumi City is swiftly preparing to open a NICU by establishing a medical system for high-risk newborn care.

The city will support 70% of the labor costs (doctors and nurses) for operating the center, while medical institutions will provide specialized personnel, facilities, and equipment to perform the functions and roles of neonatal intensive care. Within this month, a support project operator will be selected targeting medical institutions capable of operating NICUs with at least five beds and providing emergency delivery services 365 days a year.

In the face of the low birthrate crisis, with the total fertility rate recording 0.82 in 2022 and declining annually, Gumi City is striving to improve citizens’ quality of life by opening the 365 Pediatric and Adolescent Care Center. Especially amid the medical infrastructure imbalance caused by concentration in the metropolitan area, the city is leading efforts to reduce regional disparities and resolve health inequalities among Gyeongbuk residents. Going forward, the city plans to continuously expand medical infrastructure in cooperation with private medical institutions and work to improve the quality of care.

Mayor Kim Jang-ho stated, “We are constantly seeking Gumi City’s role in establishing an essential pediatric medical system. Following the 365 Pediatric and Adolescent Care Center, we will strengthen a more comprehensive medical safety net by opening the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, actively supporting medical institutions so that Gumi can truly become a city that is good and safe for raising children.”

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