Daedong Hospital Deputy Director Park Jeonghun Receives Busan Mayor's Commendation for COVID-19 Response Excellence

Jungang Hospital (Hospital Director Lee Kwang-jae) Management Support Team Deputy Director Park Jung-hoon was awarded a commendation from the Mayor of Busan in recognition of his dedication to COVID-19 response over the past three years.

Deputy General Manager Park Jeong-hoon of the Management Support Team at Daedong Hospital, awarded the Busan Mayor's Commendation for outstanding response to COVID-19.

The Busan Metropolitan City promoted this award to boost morale and encourage public officials and medical staff who have devoted themselves to COVID-19 response from the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 through this year. A total of 67 public officials and civilians, along with two private organizations, received commendations from Busan City.

Deputy Director Park Jung-hoon of Jungang Hospital has been responsible for administrative tasks related to establishing the hospital’s infectious disease response system from January 22, 2020, emergency operation of the COVID-19 committee, participation in COVID-19 projects with the Ministry of Health and Welfare and Busan City, development of patient movement routes, and the design of screening clinics and respiratory treatment centers.

In particular, during the first month of the infectious disease outbreak, he is known to have contributed by living separately near the hospital to actively develop infection prevention processes, manage and supervise on-site COVID-19 response, and handle deceased patients.

Additionally, while concurrently serving as the head of the Planning and Public Relations Team, he helped widely publicize the infection control activities of the government and Busan City, worked to change the atmosphere through accurate information delivery, and was recognized for his contributions to COVID-19 prevention and response in the Busan area, earning this commendation.

Receiving the commendation through Dongnae-gu Public Health Center, Deputy Director Park Jung-hoon of Jungang Hospital said, “It feels like just yesterday that I was running around from dawn to night without going home during the early days of the COVID-19 outbreak, but already three years have passed. Although I thought it was a duty and did my best, I am very grateful to receive such an unexpected great award. I believe this award is not for me personally but represents the hard work of all Jungang Hospital staff, and I will always do my best in my duties to repay this honor.”

When the number of domestic COVID-19 infections exceeded 10 in February 2020, Jungang Hospital quickly established an infectious disease response process, setting an example for local medical institutions. Even in the crisis situation where Busan’s first confirmed COVID-19 case and first death occurred at Jungang Hospital, the hospital responded with a swift and accurate process to prevent further spread of infection, earning praise from local residents.

Furthermore, by operating an infectious disease-dedicated hospital and establishing an integrated one-stop treatment system linking respiratory patient treatment centers, screening clinics, COVID-19 home consultation centers, outpatient clinics, and regional emergency medical centers, Jungang Hospital was recognized for its contributions to infectious disease prevention and received a commendation from the Director of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency last year as an excellent institution in medical infectious disease prevention and management projects.