Chonnam National University Hospital Sees "Final Treatment Capacity Enhancement" Budget Slashed in Half

Project Scaled Down Due to Lack of Local Funding... Healthcare Equity in Question
Lee Gaeho: "Flexible National Funding Needed for Financially Vulnerable Regions"

Concerns are mounting over regional healthcare disparities following confirmation that the budget for Chonnam National University Hospital's "Project to Strengthen Final Treatment Capacity as a Regional Responsible Medical Institution," a key medical facility in Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, has been cut by nearly half due to issues with local government matching funds.

On October 15, Lee Gaeho, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea representing Damyang, Hampyeong, Yeonggwang, and Jangseong in South Jeolla Province, highlighted the seriousness of this issue during the National Assembly audit of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, calling for fundamental institutional reforms such as expanding national funding support for financially vulnerable regions.

According to audit materials submitted to Assemblyman Lee by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Chonnam National University Hospital was approved for 14.43 billion won in funding by the Ministry as part of the 203 billion won "Project to Strengthen Final Treatment Capacity" implemented in April this year across 17 regional responsible medical institutions nationwide. However, due to a shortage of matching funds from the Gwangju city government, the final confirmed amount was only 6.86 billion won (47.6% of the original approval), less than half of the initial figure. This represents a reduction of 52.5%.

The "Regional Responsible Medical Institution Project" is a joint investment by the national and local governments aimed at expanding critical and emergency surgery, as well as intensive care infrastructure at key regional hospitals. As of 2025, both national and local government funding are set at 81.2 billion won each, making responsible budgeting by local governments a crucial factor.

While other regions such as North Gyeongsang, Jeju, and North Chungcheong secured their budgets and even provided additional support, Gwangju's limitations on matching funds resulted in the Chonnam National University Hospital project being reduced to the lowest level among national university hospitals.

Assemblyman Lee stated, "Chonnam National University Hospital serves as the central medical institution for Gwangju and South Jeolla, acting as the final stronghold for treating critical and emergency patients. The halving of the project scale due to deteriorating local finances ultimately threatens the lives and safety of local residents."

He further emphasized, "An increasing number of regions are seeing essential medical services falter simply because they cannot match local funds. The Ministry of Health and Welfare should not simply attribute this to local responsibility, but must establish a fair support system by either increasing the national funding ratio for financially weak areas or creating separate exceptions."

In response, Minister of Health and Welfare Chung Eun-kyung said, "I understand the issue, and we will review measures such as raising the national subsidy rate in consultation with the Ministry of Economy and Finance and local governments."

Nevertheless, despite the Ministry of Health and Welfare planning a third round of applications since last month for regions that failed to meet budget requirements (including Gwangju and South Jeolla), there are concerns that if Gwangju fails to secure at least 6 billion won in matching funds (based on an annual requirement of 15 billion won), the project may not proceed next year either.