Gijang County to Secure Golden Time for Emergency Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Patients

Busan City and Seosaeng-myeon Residents' Council Join Hands... Securing 5.3 Billion Won

Full-scale Launch of Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Center at Southeast Nuclear Medicine Institute

Gijang-gun in Busan, together with Busan City and the Seosaeng-myeon Residents' Council, is jointly promoting the "East Busan Essential Medical System Establishment Support Project."

This project supports the establishment of a Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Center within the Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences to secure the golden hour for emergency patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in the region.

The total project budget of 5.3 billion KRW?consisting of 3.2 billion KRW from Gijang-gun, 100 million KRW from Busan City, and 2 billion KRW from the Seosaeng-myeon Regional Coexistence Fund?will be used for the construction of a dedicated operating room and the purchase of equipment such as angiography machines and surgical microscopes.

Busan City and Gijang-gun have secured the necessary funds through this year's main and supplementary budgets, and with the confirmation of the Seosaeng-myeon residents' coexistence fund support on the 20th, the project has gained significant momentum.

The Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Center at the Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences will begin construction in October this year, be completed and equipped by February next year, and officially begin operations in March.

Once the center is established, it is expected to play a major role in securing the golden hour for patients by enabling rapid treatment and early prevention in emergency cases. The county also believes that the participation of the Seosaeng-myeon Residents' Council from Ulju-gun, a region with similar local conditions, will serve as a role model for interregional cooperation and coexistence.

County Governor Jeong Jongbok said, "By establishing an essential medical system to secure the golden hour for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular emergency patients in East Busan, we aim to protect the precious lives of our residents and play a pivotal role in addressing medical blind spots in the local community."

According to the "2022 Cause of Death Statistics" released by Statistics Korea last year, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases account for 15.8% of all causes of death. In Busan, the number of deaths from heart disease is 39.9 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than the national average of 27.6, and deaths from cerebrovascular disease are also higher at 23.0 compared to the national average of 21.3.

In particular, the prevalence of cerebrovascular disease is about twice as high among those aged 55 to 74 and about 13 times higher compared to those aged 19 to 55, with significant regional disparities.

The Jang-an-eup and Ilgwang-eup areas of Gijang-gun have a much higher proportion of elderly residents than the national average, but accessibility to regional cardiovascular and cerebrovascular centers (Dong-A University Hospital and Ulsan University Hospital) is poor?about 40 km and 50 minutes from the Jang-an-eup Office?making it difficult to secure the golden hour (2 hours for acute myocardial infarction, 3 hours for stroke) in emergency cases.

Gijang County Office.

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