Gapyeong County Military Hospital Construction Project Passes Central Investment Review by Ministry of Interior

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Eom In-yong] The Gapyeong County military hospital construction project, which the county has been actively promoting, passed the Ministry of Interior and Safety's second central investment review on the 3rd, clearing a major hurdle for the project and entering full-scale administrative procedures to address medical service gaps.

The military hospital is planned to be constructed on the site of the former Armed Forces Cheongpyeong Hospital in Cheongpyeong-myeon with 26.3 billion won in total project costs by 2028, featuring a total floor area of 1,884 m² and a 3-story structure.

Major facilities will include △24-hour emergency medical facilities △six unmet medical specialties (internal medicine, nephrology, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, pediatrics, and emergency medicine) △facilities for response to novel infectious diseases and disasters △doctor helicopter landing pad, among others.

Gapyeong County suffers from low accessibility to emergency medical institutions, forcing residents to travel to external hospitals in Chuncheon, Namyangju, Seoul, and other areas for treatment. The construction of the military hospital is expected to significantly contribute not only to improving accessibility to medical services within the region but also to strengthening response capabilities for novel infectious diseases and disasters.

County Governor Seo Tae-won stated, "The construction of a public medical facility is a long-held aspiration of Gapyeong residents and a core campaign pledge of the 8th civilian government," and added, "With this passage of the central investment review, we will accelerate the project implementation to lead efforts in resolving emergency medical service gaps."