Accelerating the Creation of Geochang-Style Medical Welfare Town Equipped with Customized Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Childcare System
Geochang County in Gyeongnam Province announced on the 26th that the relocation and reconstruction project of Geochang Red Cross Hospital, the region's responsible medical institution, was selected as a candidate for the preliminary feasibility study at the '6th Fiscal Project Evaluation Committee of 2024' presided over by the 2nd Vice Minister of Economy and Finance, making the realization of this mega-scale project, with a total budget of 230.4 billion won, more tangible.
This project aims to expand the hospital to a general hospital level with 18 departments and 300 beds. Emergency medical functions such as an emergency medical center and cardiovascular center will be strengthened, and dedicated beds for infectious diseases will be added. This will not only provide essential medical care but also serve vulnerable groups, dramatically improving public health care services in the region.
The project site will be located as a core facility of the 'Geochang Medical Welfare Town Urban Development Project' near Geochang IC, an area with excellent accessibility, befitting its role as a regional base public hospital covering three counties (Geochang, Hapcheon, Hamyang). The plan is to build it on a site of 22,155 square meters, with one basement level and seven above-ground floors.
In addition, a Happy Mom Community Center for pre-pregnancy support and infant health care, a public postpartum care center for after-birth care, and the Childcare Dream Center, a care facility for preschool children, will be established within the medical complex town, making it possible to provide comprehensive care from pregnancy to childcare in Geochang Medical Town.
County Governor Koo Inmo stated, "The selection of this project as a candidate for the preliminary feasibility study is the result of continuous cooperation between the two institutions with the shared goal of expanding essential public medical care. To provide high-quality medical services to residents as soon as possible, we will focus administrative efforts to designate the urban development zone this year, begin site development in 2025, and commence construction in 2026, so that the 'Geochang-style Medical Welfare Town Development Project' can be completed early."
Meanwhile, the relocation and reconstruction project of Geochang Red Cross Hospital was initiated when the Ministry of Health and Welfare included the Geochang area (Geochang, Hapcheon, Hamyang), which lacks high-quality private and public hospitals, as a target for relocation and reconstruction among the 70 medical service zones nationwide in the 'Regional Medical Reinforcement Plan You Can Trust' announced in November 2019.
Accordingly, after signing an agreement with the Korean Red Cross on March 3 last year for site development and exchange, the county has swiftly proceeded with the basic plan, site confirmation, compensation procedures, and administrative processes for the urban development project. As a result, among Sangju, Tongyeong, and Geochang, which are targets for the relocation and reconstruction of Red Cross Hospitals, Geochang was the first to apply for and be selected for the preliminary feasibility study by the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
If the feasibility is confirmed after about a year of preliminary feasibility study, Geochang Red Cross Hospital is expected to begin full-scale construction in 2026 and open before 2030.
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