'Seobugyeongnam Public Hospital' Reestablished in Jinju City After 9 Years... Final Site Selected

Connecting 103 Years of Jinju Medical Center's History and Future

A view of Yehwa Elementary School in Jinju City

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Choi Soon-kyung] Gyeongnam Province announced on the 26th that Jinju City has been finally selected for the establishment of the "Western Gyeongnam Public Hospital," part of the Ministry of Health and Welfare's initiative to strengthen the public medical system.

After a public discussion process last year, the candidates for the Western Gyeongnam public hospital site were ▲ the former Yeha Elementary School in Jinju City ▲ the parking lot under Namhae Bridge in Namhae County ▲ Jinkyo Mountain in Hadong County.

The site evaluation criteria for the establishment candidates included accessibility, securing personnel, local government willingness and plans, environmental characteristics, ease of construction and expandability, effectiveness in improving medical vulnerability, and public preference surveys for the candidate sites. Jinju City's site conditions and the local government's willingness and plans reportedly received favorable evaluations from the assessment committee.

In this regard, 15 site evaluation committee members for the establishment candidates held a briefing and on-site inspection on February 18th for the establishment sites in Jinju City, Hadong County, and Namhae County.

At the briefing, Jeon Jeong-tak, Director of the Health Administration Division, explained regarding securing medical personnel, "Four universities in the area can annually produce about 1,000 health and medical personnel, and not only medical staff but also residential conditions such as housing, education, medical care, culture, and environment for families are excellent."

During the on-site inspection of the establishment site, Jinju City Vice Mayor Jeong Jun-seok stated, "The Jinju City establishment site is located within the aviation industrial complex currently under construction (scheduled for completion in 2022), and construction can begin immediately once the public hospital site is confirmed," emphasizing, "The public hospital is not a hospital for a specific city or county but a hospital that integrates all nearby cities and counties, so it should be located in the center of life in Western Gyeongnam where stable operation is possible."

Jinju Mayor Jo Gyu-il said, "We welcome Jinju City being finally selected as the candidate site for the Western Gyeongnam public hospital," and added, "We will cooperate to the fullest extent so that the establishment of the public hospital responsible for public medical care in the five cities and counties of Western Gyeongnam can be promptly promoted."

Meanwhile, the Western Gyeongnam public hospital will be established with support from national and provincial funds. It will continue the history of Jinju Medical Center, which was closed in 2013 after 103 years of tradition.