Government to provide ₩75.9 bil. in facility, equipment costs to regional medical hubs

The government will provide 75.9 billion won ($54.6 million) in facility and equipment costs to 17 regional medical centers nationwide. When funds provided by local governments are added, the total financial support will be 189.8 billion won.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Monday that it has decided to provide 75.9 billion won in funding for treatment facilities and equipment for critically ill and severely ill patients at regional medical centers, including national university hospitals, as part of its policy initiatives to strengthen regional, essential, and public healthcare.

Regional medical centers are designated as hub hospitals that provide advanced essential medical care and plan and coordinate cooperation among medical institutions within their regions. They were first designated in 2019, mainly among national university hospitals. As of 2025, regional medical centers have been designated in all 17 provinces and are overseeing regional essential medical cooperation systems.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has received project proposals from local governments based on the on-site needs of regional medical centers through two rounds of public bidding, and has selected facilities and equipment to strengthen severe and high-complexity treatment capabilities through expert evaluations.

Specifically, 235.5 billion won in facility and equipment costs has been requested from 17 provinces and cities. After expert evaluation, 189.8 billion won in support funds, including 75.9 billion won from the national budget, have been decided.

With this decision, a significant number of provinces and cities have met their institutional budget allocations. Notably, North Gyeongsang, Jeju, and North Chungcheong provinces submitted project plans that exceeded their institutional budget allocations, enabling hospitals to receive additional support and thereby actively fulfilling the responsibilities of local governments in addressing regional and essential medical issues.

The facilities and equipment approved for support are expected to contribute to the provision of essential, high-complexity medical care for local residents. For instance, Kangwon National University Hospital will introduce advanced robotic surgery equipment and invite specialists from Seoul National University Hospital, while Chonnam National University Hospital will expand its negative-pressure isolation rooms in the intensive care unit to improve its ability to treat patients with high-risk infectious diseases.

In addition, many hospitals will expand their operating rooms and intensive care unit infrastructure to provide final treatment for severely ill and emergency patients in their regions, contributing to reducing the disparity in the treatable mortality rate among provincial residents.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to accept and evaluate project proposals from certain cities and provinces, including Gwangju and South Jeolla Province, which have not yet secured institutional budgets, through a third round of public bidding starting in September. This project is a core task for strengthening regional, essential, and public healthcare by significantly enhancing the treatment capabilities of regional medical centers for severe diseases.

Particularly, as a large-scale fiscal investment project implemented through collaboration between local governments and regional medical institutions with regional responsibility, it holds significant meaning in ensuring local governments' accountability for addressing regional and essential medical issues.

Along with this project, the ministry is working with relevant ministries to promote the simultaneous development of clinical, research, and educational capabilities at regional responsible medical institutions centered on national university hospitals by supporting specialized research and development at regional national university hospitals, increasing the number of full-time faculty members at regional national medical schools, and improving regulations that lack medical consistency, such as total personnel expenses.

“To strengthen weakened regional, essential, and public healthcare, it is essential to significantly enhance the final treatment capabilities of regional responsibility medical institutions such as national university hospitals,” Jeong Tong-ryong, director-general for Public Health Policy, said. “Based on strengthened clinical capabilities, we plan to establish a regional essential healthcare cooperation system to swiftly mitigate deepened regional healthcare disparities.”