Yoon Visits Local Hospitals Two Days in a Row... "Will Learn What the Government Needs to Do"

Meeting Held at Chungnam Gongju Medical Center
Two-Track Approach: Dialogue Encouraged and Local Medical Site Visits

President Yoon Suk-yeol said on the 2nd, "I will learn a lot about what the government should do to enable regional general hospitals to play the role of central medical institutions by visiting them directly."

President Yoon made these remarks at a meeting with medical staff held at Gongju Medical Center, the secondary hospital and the only general hospital in Gongju, Chungnam. This is his third visit to a regional secondary hospital, following Korea Hospital in Cheongju on the 26th of last month and Yuseong Sun Hospital in Daejeon on the 1st of this month.

Through a public address demanding that residents in collective action come to the dialogue table, while visiting local medical sites to listen to doctors' positions on medical reform, he appears to have chosen a two-track approach.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is visiting Gongju Medical Center in Gongju, Chungnam on the 2nd, touring the rehabilitation center. [Image source=Yonhap News]

At the meeting, President Yoon expressed gratitude to local medical centers that serve as the backbone of regional healthcare and promised, "Tertiary general hospitals will handle the most severe cases and high-difficulty surgeries, while regional general hospitals like Gongju Medical Center will be responsible for general severe care and surgeries, establishing a proper medical delivery system."

He also emphasized, "The purpose of the ongoing medical reform is to strengthen essential medical care that saves lives, to reinforce the regional medical system to guarantee fair access to medical services regardless of where people live nationwide, and to prepare for rapid aging. We will do our best to ensure that medical staff feel rewarded and proud of their dedication."

Im Soo-heum, director of Gongju Medical Center, requested support for personnel expenses policies aimed at specialization and internal strengthening of Gongju Medical Center, as well as plans to enhance elderly care tailored to the characteristics of the Gongju region.

In response, President Yoon said, "We will not rely solely on health insurance finances for supporting the infrastructure of regional medical institutions but will spare no government financial investment." He added, "I agree on the need to strengthen public healthcare suited to regional characteristics," and instructed Cho Kyu-hong, Minister of Health and Welfare, who was present, to provide active support.

When a medical staff member suggested that not only criminal support but also civil litigation measures are necessary for unavoidable medical accidents, President Yoon replied, "We will prepare measures to minimize judicial risks for medical personnel and also take care of the civil litigation aspects."

The presidential office reported that President Yoon later visited the emergency room and rehabilitation treatment room to check on their operations and encourage the medical staff.