SY Completes Development of Mobile Negative Pressure Ward... "Capable of Large-Scale Supply in 10 Days"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo Hyun-seok] A portable modular negative pressure ward that can supply dozens of negative pressure wards within about 10 days once only local government land such as public stadiums is secured has been developed. A negative pressure ward is a special isolation facility that blocks the external leakage of viruses.

Comprehensive building materials company SY announced on the 20th that it has completed the development of a portable modular negative pressure ward applying high-density urethane panels, air conditioning facilities, and negative pressure design in collaboration with specialized construction company Steel Life.

The company said that the portable modular negative pressure ward is factory-produced and can be completed within 10 days from order to installation. It is 5.5 pyeong in size, measuring 3.3m wide and 7.3m long, equipped with a negative pressure air conditioner, an anteroom design, specialized medical facilities, and various convenience facilities. In collaboration with sterilization specialist disinfection company Green F5, disinfection services are also provided. Installation simply involves placing the ward transported by a 5-ton truck or similar on a flat site at the location.

An SY official said, “Specialized negative pressure rooms cost about 200 million KRW per bed and take four months to complete, but modular wards using SY materials cost about 50 million KRW and can be mass-supplied within about 10 days.” He added, “We expect it to serve as an alternative to the currently nationwide shortage of negative pressure rooms, and an export model is also under development.”

SY explained that since it has a track record of supplying tuberculosis patient isolation wards to North Korea, it is confident in the virus containment performance. Last year and this year, it supplied about 20 modular wards each year for isolation treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, which is highly contagious through the air.

The company stated that large-scale supply is also possible in a short period by utilizing public facilities and land of each local government. If a local government uses the 20,000㎡ stadium site of a currently closed public stadium, it can secure a medical station serving as headquarters and 50 negative pressure wards within about 10 days. Based on the 30 billion KRW budget allocated through the current supplementary budget for expanding negative pressure rooms, it is possible to expand 600 rooms. The previous budget target was 120 expansions, which is five times less.

Mathematically, if 50 negative pressure wards are secured in each of the 226 basic local governments nationwide, more than 10,000 additional negative pressure rooms will be established. The company explained that it is designed to be used as emergency relief housing in other disasters and can be repurposed as single-person dormitories for public institutions or glamping sites in local government recreational areas during normal times.