"Opposition to Budget Cuts for New Construction and Relocation of National Medical Center"... Nationwide Signature Campaign Launched

On the 31st, the National Medical Center Specialist Council held a press conference in front of the National Assembly opposing the downsizing of the National Medical Center reconstruction and relocation project.
[Photo by National Medical Center Specialist Council]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Gwan-joo] Amid ongoing opposition to the Ministry of Economy and Finance's decision to reduce the scale of the new construction and relocation of the National Medical Center, the National Medical Center Specialist Council and the General Alumni Association have launched a nationwide petition campaign demanding the withdrawal of the budget cuts.

On the morning of the 31st, the Specialist Council and the General Alumni Association held a press conference in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, stating, "We strongly urge the withdrawal of the budget cuts and the prompt establishment of a national infectious disease response system centered on the National Medical Center as promised to the public."

The Ministry of Economy and Finance notified the adjustment of the total project cost for the new construction and relocation of the National Medical Center, reducing the scale. 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?526 beds at the main hospital, 134 beds at the Central Infectious Disease Hospital, and 100 beds at the Central Trauma Center?and reduced the project cost from 1.2341 trillion won to 1.1726 trillion won.

The Specialist Council stated, "With the reduced budget, the National Medical Center cannot fulfill its essential unmet medical functions," and emphasized, "To properly respond to essential unmet medical needs during medical disasters such as infectious disease crises and to provide adequate care as a central institution addressing regional medical disparities as the national central hospital, a scale of over 1,000 beds (800 beds at the main hospital) is necessary." They also pointed out, "With the reduced scale of the medical center modernization project, adequate medical services for medically vulnerable groups are impossible," adding, "If the newly built hospital cannot provide appropriate care to vulnerable groups due to its limited size, then our country's medical safety net must be abandoned."

The General Alumni Association also emphasized, "We painfully experienced the shortcomings of essential unmet medical care during the MERS and COVID-19 crises," and stated, "Now, our country needs the National Medical Center to lead essential unmet medical care that the private sector cannot handle." They added, "Medical technology is advancing rapidly, and to properly perform the pivotal role in national unmet medical response and serve as the last bastion, appropriate government investment is absolutely necessary."

Alongside this, the Specialist Council plans to conduct an online nationwide petition campaign demanding the withdrawal of the budget cuts. Since the 17th, the Specialist Council has been distributing public appeals, holding picket protests, and conducting nationwide petition campaigns. The council intends to deliver the collected signatures of support to the Presidential Office.