Number of hospital beds reduced from 1,050 to 760
Project budget also cut... Health and Medical Workers' Union "Unacceptable"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Kwan-joo] The Ministry of Economy and Finance's budget cuts for the construction and relocation project of the National Medical Center have made it inevitable to face setbacks in the original plan to significantly increase the number of hospital beds.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Medical Center on the 12th, the Ministry of Economy and Finance recently notified the Ministry of Health and Welfare of the adjustment results for the total project cost of the National Medical Center construction and relocation project requested by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Initially, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Medical Center requested a total of 1,050 beds, including 800 beds at the main hospital, 150 beds at the Central Infectious Disease Hospital, and 100 beds at the Central Trauma Center. However, the Ministry of Economy and Finance deemed a total of 760 beds appropriate, including 526 beds at the main hospital, 134 beds at the Central Infectious Disease Hospital, and 100 beds at the Central Trauma Center, reducing the project cost from 1.2341 trillion won to 1.1726 trillion won.
Established in 1958, the National Medical Center has been under discussion for relocation since 2003 due to outdated facilities and cramped spaces. Subsequently, as the role of the National Medical Center was strengthened by being designated as the central infectious disease hospital during outbreaks such as MERS and COVID-19, the project to relocate the hospital to the nearby site of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and to build the Central Infectious Disease Hospital together began to be actively promoted.
Upon learning of this, the National Health and Medical Industry Labor Union issued a statement on the same day, criticizing, "This is completely contrary to the 'September 2 Labor-Government Agreement' agreed upon between the Health and Medical Labor Union and the government, and we absolutely cannot tolerate the Ministry of Economy and Finance's decision to reduce the total project cost."
The union stated, "The construction and relocation project of the National Medical Center is not simply about building and relocating a single hospital, but a blueprint prepared with national consensus to further strengthen Korea's public health care system amid the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic crisis, and a promise to the public to 'strengthen public healthcare.' The Ministry of Economy and Finance's decision to reduce the total project cost based solely on economic logic such as population decline and excess beds in the metropolitan area, which completely denies the promise to the public, must be immediately revoked," emphasizing their position.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said it will first begin administrative procedures for the construction project, such as design competitions, but plans to continuously negotiate with the Ministry of Economy and Finance on total project cost adjustments for additional demands such as medical equipment and beds after the basic design phase.
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