Busan City Hospital Association's New President, Park Jongho, Chairman of Centum General Hospital, Inaugurated

"Active Efforts to Reflect Regional Hospital Development Plans in Policy"

Concentration of Medical Resources and Patient Outflow in the Seoul Metropolitan Area Must Be Addressed

Park Jongho, Chairman of Centum General Hospital and orthopedic specialist, was inaugurated as the 14th president at the regular general meeting of the Busan Hospital Association held at Lotte Hotel Seomyeon, Busan, on the 29th.

Jongho Park, chairman of Centum General Hospital, inaugurated as the 14th president of the Busan Medical Association.

Over 100 people attended the meeting, including former president Kim Cheol (Chairman of Busan Korea Hospital), representatives from member hospitals, invited guests, and officials from related organizations and groups, making the event a great success.

In his inauguration speech, the new president Park Jongho emphasized, "Based on the social knowledge and experience I have accumulated while managing hospitals for 29 years since 1995, I will do my utmost in my duties."

Regarding future activities, he cited policy reflection as a top priority. He expressed his intention to gather efforts to ensure that various issues of the Busan Hospital Association are reflected in government policies. To this end, he said he would invite local members of the National Assembly and legislative experts to explain development plans in detail.

On medical crises such as the mass resignation of residents, he pointed out, "Problems that should have been resolved long ago have accumulated and were only addressed with temporary solutions, leading to the current situation. In the case of university hospitals, they have deviated from their original roles, focusing only on expanding by establishing too many branches, while the levels of education and research have not improved?this is the reality of our medical education."

President Park expressed concern, saying, "Even now, there are many branches of university hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area, and approval has already been granted for an additional 6,600 beds in the region." He also stated, "With the surge in the opening of clinics and the growth of tertiary general hospitals, the medical delivery system has collapsed, and the role of secondary general hospitals has almost disappeared. As a result, local hospitals are experiencing management difficulties."

He especially noted, "Patients are going to large hospitals in the Seoul metropolitan area for treatments that can be sufficiently handled at local general hospitals, spending two or three times more on medical expenses. I will work together with member hospitals in Busan to normalize and rectify these issues."

He added, "For patients whose lives are at risk, treatment outcomes cannot be predicted. If doctors are punished or sued based solely on outcomes, it leads to defensive medicine and avoidance of surgeries. In such cases, doctors should be granted some immunity, and if damage occurs despite proper treatment, the state should provide compensation. Furthermore, a system should be established so that doctors can maintain their honor based solely on medical fees, without having to rely on non-covered services or indemnity insurance."

In conclusion, President Park said, "I will do my best in my role and responsibilities as president so that people can say the Busan Hospital Association actively defends the rights and interests of our local hospitals and contributes to the development of community health care. I ask for your guidance and support."

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