Gyeonggi Province Establishes 'Innovative Public Medical Centers' in Namyangju and Yangju Cities...Multiple Sites Decided

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] Namyangju City and Yangju City have been confirmed as the sites for establishing public medical centers to resolve healthcare disparities in the northeastern region of Gyeonggi Province.

As a result, the Gyeonggi Medical Center will expand to a total of 8 facilities. The newly established public medical centers will be built as 'innovative public hospitals' that integrate medical care and care services.

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon held a press conference on the 11th for the 'Gyeonggi Northern Overhaul Project' and announced the results of the site selection recruitment for public medical centers in the northeastern region of Gyeonggi, which is one of the infrastructure expansion measures for northern Gyeonggi.

Governor Kim stated, "We confirm the public medical centers in northeastern Gyeonggi will be located in Namyangju City and Yangju City. Multiple candidate sites have been selected reflecting the strict review and opinions of the Medical Center Establishment Review Committee," and added, "The newly selected public medical centers will operate as 'innovative public hospitals' that fuse medical care and care services."

Since June of last year, the province has discussed the direction of public medical center establishment through the 'Gyeonggi Northeastern Medical System Improvement Committee' composed of health and medical experts. Subsequently, the province established establishment plans (2.26) and conducted needs surveys (5.31~7.15), receiving applications from seven cities and counties including Yangju, Namyangju, Uijeongbu, Dongducheon, Gapyeong, Yangpyeong, and Yeoncheon. To conduct fair and objective evaluation, the province on July 26th organized a 'Medical Center Establishment Review Committee' composed of 10 experts including provincial assembly recommendations, civil servants, and specialists in hospital establishment and operation. The review committee selected the final sites through three stages: first preliminary evaluation and quantitative assessment (8.13), second on-site inspection (8.22), and third qualitative evaluation (9.9).

The province plans to conduct feasibility study research projects and pre-feasibility studies with a goal of beginning construction around 2030.

Namyangju City holds a 33,800 square meter comprehensive medical facility site in the Baebong District of Hopeong-dong, and was recognized for excellent accessibility through connection with major transportation networks including the Seokseung Hopeong Urban Expressway, National Route 46, Gyeongchun Line, and the Seoul Metropolitan Area Outer Ring Expressway. The resident population in the expected service area reaches 1.1 million from Namyangju, Guri, Gapyeong, and Yangpyeong.

Yangju City proposed a 26,400 square meter comprehensive medical facility site within Okjeong New City. With convenient transportation networks including Line 1's Deokgye Station and Line 7's Okjeong Station (scheduled to open in '26) and a location at the center of northern Gyeonggi, it is expected to serve a population of 1.01 million from the Yeoncheon, Pocheon, Dongducheon, Yangju, and Uijeongbu regions.

An innovative public hospital expands the role of public medical centers beyond basic medical services to include the care domain, equipped with both complex functions of medical care and care services in preparation for infectious disease crisis response as well as an aging society.

Additionally, services will be innovated through groundbreaking digitalization, strengthened collaboration with university hospitals, and expanded education and training of essential medical personnel. The province plans to significantly improve management efficiency through implementing private hospital operational methods and cloud-based computer systems, and expanding coordination with regional cooperation hospitals and health center branches.

With the establishment of two public medical centers in the northeastern region of Gyeonggi, the province expects that healthcare disparities, which have been pointed out as urgent issues, will be resolved and that it will play a significant role in improving the quality of life for residents in the northern region.

The province plans to establish customized support measures for cities and counties that were not selected and proceed with improvements to the medical system in the northern region.

The province will designate 'medical vulnerability hub medical institutions' for the first time in Gyeonggi in Dongducheon, Yangpyeong, Gapyeong, and Yeoncheon, providing a total of 2.7 billion won for operational expenses and facility equipment introduction. In particular, for Yeoncheon County, which faces a shortage of health personnel, the province plans to provide 2.9 billion won in support to strengthen the capacity of Yeoncheon County Health and Medical Center through additional doctor placement, expanded provincial funding support for personnel expenses, and priority deployment of public health physicians.

Meanwhile, Gyeonggi Province currently has a total of 6 public hospitals: 3 in southern Gyeonggi including Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center's Suwon, Icheon, and Anseong Hospitals, and 3 in northern Gyeonggi including Uijeongbu, Paju, and Pocheon Hospitals.