Government to Develop Regional Hub Hospitals Including National University Hospitals to 'Big 5' Level

Comprehensive Plan to Strengthen Regional Secondary Hospitals to Be Announced Within the Year
Over 1,000 National University Professors to Be Added by 2027
Significant Expansion of Regional Talent Admission Quota from Current 40%

On the 14th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced plans to elevate the capabilities of regional base hospitals, including national university hospitals, to the level of the five major hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area. The policy aims to strengthen the regional healthcare system so that patients can receive optimal medical care in a timely manner within their residential areas, regardless of whether their conditions are mild or severe.

Park Min-su, the 2nd Vice Minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated at the 'Doctors' Collective Action Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH)' briefing held at the Government Seoul Office that morning, "We will foster capable hospitals within regions and strengthen networks among hospitals to reform the abnormal situation where patients flock to the metropolitan area."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

To this end, the government plans to balance the enhancement of clinical, research, and educational capabilities of regional base hospitals such as national university hospitals and innovate total labor cost and total quota regulations to strengthen investments in essential medical care. The relevant authority will be transferred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Additionally, regional general hospitals, which serve as the backbone of local medical institutions, will be intensively developed. Considering medical demand by mid-sized medical service areas, about 3 to 4 regional general hospitals will be fostered to strengthen treatment capabilities for severe emergency patients requiring golden time interventions, such as emergency, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular, and trauma cases, while also enhancing specialized functions like pediatrics and maternity care. A comprehensive plan to strengthen and intensively develop essential medical functions of regional secondary hospitals will be announced within this year after broadly collecting opinions from local communities and the hospital sector.

A 'Regional Medical Innovation Pilot Project' will also be conducted in the second half of this year to activate networks among regional medical institutions, providing up to 50 billion KRW over three years per region. To maximize cooperation outcomes among medical institutions, institution-level rewards based on performance will be applied.

The proportion of regional talent admissions will be significantly expanded from the current 40% to enable regional medical institutions to secure excellent medical personnel. Newly increased personnel will be assigned to work at regional medical institutions.

Vice Minister Park said, "This is based on the fact that those educated at regional medical schools and trained at regional university hospitals tend to have a higher rate of working at regional medical institutions."

Furthermore, to improve the quality of medical education, regional and essential medical education content will be strengthened. As part of this, the 'Medical Student Clinical Practice Support Program' will be utilized to support training and practice in regional healthcare.

Vice Minister Park explained, "The Medical Student Clinical Practice Support Program is a project by the Ministry of Health and Welfare that supports essential medical practice programs for medical students during their vacations. It has been implemented since 2021 and is evaluated to have high satisfaction."

Medical students can participate in a two-week essential medical practice program at designated training hospitals or other selected institutions during summer and winter vacations. Last year, educational programs were provided in six essential medical fields including trauma, pediatric cardiology, infectious diseases, neurosurgery, public health, and primary care, with plans to gradually expand.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Incentives for working at regional medical institutions will be significantly increased, and the introduction of a contract-based essential physician system will be pursued. The policy aims to present a vision of good specialist jobs at capable regional hospitals to encourage voluntary participation. To this end, national university hospitals will be fostered, and the increase of more than 1,000 professors by 2027 will be steadily promoted.

Moreover, the government plans to collaborate with local governments, universities, and others to promote regional medical workforce development measures such as the contract-based essential physician system.

Vice Minister Park said, "The contract-based essential physician system is a model where universities, local governments, and students enter into a tripartite contract, under which scholarships, training cost support, professor recruitment quotas, and residential condition support are provided in exchange for long-term work at regional medical institutions. Such regional medical workforce development measures will be promoted in cooperation not only with the government but also with local governments and universities."

Investment in regions will also be strengthened. To eliminate medical disparities between regions, a 'customized regional fee system' based on regional medical maps will be introduced.

Currently, in the maternity field, from this year, obstetric specialists are stationed full-time, and all medical institutions with delivery rooms receive a safety policy fee of 550,000 KRW per delivery. Additionally, delivery medical institutions outside of metropolitan cities such as special and metropolitan cities receive an additional regional fee of 550,000 KRW, applying regional fees accordingly.

Vice Minister Park stated, "Medical reform, including increasing the number of doctors, is a constitutional duty and a policy decision to protect the lives and health of the people. We will definitely complete the medical reform."

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