[Muan=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] Kim Young-rok, Governor of Jeonnam Province, explained two key issues?the establishment of a national medical school and the designation of a national advanced medical complex?and requested cooperation and support from Kwon Deok-cheol, Minister of Health and Welfare.
According to Jeonnam Province on the 8th, Governor Kim stated, “Jeonnam has many medically underserved areas such as islands, and medical demand is high as it is the first region in the nation to enter a super-aged society. However, it is the only province nationwide without a medical school or a tertiary general hospital, making it difficult to train medical personnel and to receive proper medical services.”
He continued, “Every year, about 800,000 residents travel to tertiary general hospitals in other cities and provinces for treatment, and the medical expenses flowing out amount to 1.3 trillion won. It is necessary to introduce a regional talent selection system that can sustain regular medical activities locally, and to secure medical personnel suited to regional characteristics, such as essential specialists in pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, emergency medicine, and medical specialists for farmers and fishermen.”
Along with this, he proposed, “To overcome the poor medical reality of the region and fulfill the 20-year-long wish of 2 million residents, it is necessary to confirm the establishment of a national medical school in Jeonnam, the only province without one nationwide, and allocate a quota for Jeonnam in the medical school enrollment.”
Additionally, he requested that Jeonnam be designated as a “National Advanced Medical Complex” centered around the Hwasun Vaccine Industrial Complex area.
Governor Kim emphasized, “Jeonnam is rich in healing resources such as natural products and, centered on the Hwasun Vaccine Industrial Complex, is an advanced new drug development forward base equipped with the nation’s only full-cycle support infrastructure for immunotherapy, including research and development, preclinical, clinical, production, and certification.” He added, “Based on the steadily expanded medical and pharmaceutical infrastructure such as the Hwasun Vaccine Industrial Complex, the National Immunotherapy Innovation Platform, and the National Microbial Validation Support Center, we plan to develop it into an advanced medical complex specialized in vaccines and immunotherapy for infectious and severe diseases, completing the national advanced medical triad.”
The national advanced medical triad regions are Jeonnam for immune medicine, pharmaceuticals, and healing; Chungbuk for biopharmaceuticals; and Daegu-Gyeongbuk for synthetic new drugs.
Since February 2020, the province has been conducting its own research to be designated as an advanced medical complex and submitted an application to the Ministry of Health and Welfare in December of the same year.
In response, Minister Kwon Deok-cheol said, “The establishment of a medical school will be included in discussions once the government’s medical policy council resumes, and we will promote it through thorough consultation.” He added, “Regarding the national advanced medical complex, we will actively review it as an immune medical specialized complex that reflects regional characteristics in consultation with related ministries.”
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