Gastric Cancer Surgery Expert ... Nationwide First Operation of COVID-19 Community Treatment Center
Jung Ho-young, former director of Kyungpook National University Hospital (62, photo), has been nominated as the Minister of Health and Welfare in the first cabinet of the Yoon Suk-yeol administration.
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol announced on the 10th that he had appointed former Director Jung as the Minister of Health and Welfare, introducing him as "the person who operated the nation's first COVID-19 residential treatment center during the early spread of COVID-19 in Daegu in early 2020, established an operational system to ensure uninterrupted care for severe COVID-19 patients as well as general severe and emergency patients, and enabled the role of regional responsibility medical institutions."
President-elect Yoon added, "Candidate Jung is a specialist surgeon with 37 years of experience in cancer treatment and surgery, as well as extensive experience in medical administration. It is widely agreed that it is desirable to support the Ministry of Health and Welfare with a vice minister who is an expert in finance and welfare and to appoint a minister who is a healthcare professional. Therefore, I have designated an expert in clinical practice and medical administration as the minister."
Candidate Jung graduated from Kyungpook National University College of Medicine in 1985 as a specialist surgeon. He served as a professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Medical Informatics at Kyungpook National University College of Medicine, and as a visiting professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine in the United States. He is an authority in the field of gastric cancer surgery, which has the highest incidence rate in Korea, and set records such as "3,000 gastric cancer surgeries performed" and "0% mortality rate in gastric cancer surgery" from 1998 to 2016.
At Kyungpook National University Hospital, he held his first position as head of public relations in 2005, then served as director of the Medical Information Center, director of planning and coordination, and director of medical affairs (vice president), and served as the 38th hospital director from August 2017 to August 2020. He has also been active as president of the Korean Society of Medical Informatics and the Korean Gastric Cancer Association.
After his nomination as minister, Candidate Jung met with reporters and stated, "President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol recognizes the current situation, where infectious diseases are spreading across the country, as a very serious threat to national security. I will consider how to respond appropriately."
Regarding COVID-19 prevention, he said, "Since the current officials are working hard, it is inappropriate for me as a ministerial candidate to speak too hastily about my thoughts," but added, "Of course, we must also consider the public's fatigue and the hardships of daily life going forward."
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