120 Billion Won to Support National University Hospitals in Establishing 'AI Medical Systems'

The government will provide 14.2 billion won in national funding to enable regional core medical institutions, including national university hospitals, to introduce and utilize artificial intelligence (AI)-based medical systems.

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The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on April 15 that it would support regional core medical institutions with an initial 12 billion won through the 'AI-Based Medical System Support Project,' and an additional 2.2 billion won will be provided through a supplementary call for proposals in the second half of the year.

This project, being implemented for the first time this year, is focused on allowing major hospitals responsible for high-level essential medical care in 17 cities and provinces nationwide to use AI medical systems in real-world clinical settings to provide safer medical services to the public.

First, AI systems that analyze patients' conditions in real time will be introduced to enable rapid responses in emergency situations. Chungbuk National University Hospital and Pusan National University Hospital will establish AI systems that analyze the vital signs and test data of inpatients in real time to predict acute illnesses such as cardiac arrest and sepsis in advance. Through this, medical staff will be able to identify high-risk patients early and respond quickly, which is expected to reduce the risk of patient mortality.

Kyungpook National University Hospital will introduce the 'AI Patient Safety Monitoring System,' which analyzes patient movements and conditions at the bedside to detect fall risks in real time. This will help prevent falls among elderly patients with mobility challenges and provide a safer inpatient environment.

The adoption of AI in the field of radiology, which can accurately diagnose serious illnesses such as cancer, is also accelerating. Jeonbuk National University Hospital and Pusan National University Hospital will introduce auxiliary systems in which AI analyzes chest X-rays and CT images to automatically detect suspected lesions related to lung disease and cancer. This will improve the diagnostic accuracy of medical staff and enable earlier detection of serious illnesses such as cancer.

Gyeongsang National University Hospital will use an AI imaging analysis system that can diagnose serious brain diseases such as stroke and dementia at an early stage, allowing treatment decisions to be made within the golden hour. In addition, Jeju National University Hospital will introduce a cardiovascular risk assessment system that evaluates the degree of stenosis in the coronary arteries (the vessels supplying blood to the heart) based on chest CT images to strengthen its ability to address heart disease.

Through AI systems, administrative burdens will also be reduced so that medical staff can focus on their core work, such as patient care and research, which are unique to university hospitals. Chonnam National University Hospital, Chungnam National University Hospital, and Jeonbuk National University Hospital will introduce a voice recognition-based AI record system that automatically generates medical records as medical staff explain verbally, reducing the time required for documentation.

Kangwon National University Hospital will introduce an AI system that provides patients with information on hospital life and test procedures, thereby reducing inconveniences during the hospital stay and enhancing personalized guidance services for patients.

Lee Hyung-hoon, the Second Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said, "The introduction of AI medical systems is a key means of enhancing the medical capabilities for local residents. Going forward, we will provide comprehensive support so that national university hospitals and other regional core medical institutions can establish themselves as essential hospitals in their communities and function as trusted medical providers."

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