Busan to build public children's hospital, opening targeted for 2028

Busan will build a public children’s hospital, with construction underway and an opening targeted for 2028.

On Monday, Busan Metropolitan City and Busan Medical Center announced the selection of the final design for the Busan Children’s Hospital construction project. Busan plans to commence construction in the second half of next year, with completion scheduled for the end of 2027 and the opening scheduled for 2028.

The Busan Children's Hospital will be located on approximately 1,600 square meters of land at the Busan Medical Center in Geoje-dong, Yeonje-gu, with a total project cost of 48.6 billion won ($35.1 million). The building will be constructed with three basement floors and three ground floors (with a total floor area of 8,340 square meters) and will have 50 beds.

It will operate five departments: pediatrics, child and adolescent psychiatry, pediatric rehabilitation, pediatric orthopedics, and pediatric dentistry. Additionally, it will feature a specialized treatment center for children with severe disabilities and a 24-hour emergency response system.

The selected architectural design was highly evaluated for its organic layout and efficient use of space, particularly in terms of the flow between the children's hospital and the existing buildings. The design firm, Gil Comprehensive Architectural Office & Engineering Co., will proceed with the architectural design for a period of 10 months following the contract signing.

Busan Metropolitan City secured 22.5 billion won in national funds in October of last year and completed administrative procedures, including conditional approval from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's Central Investment Review Committee in November of the same year. Additionally, the city is conducting a study to establish a “Children's Hospital Medical and Operational Plan” in collaboration with the Public Health and Medical Support Team to ensure smooth hospital operations.

Particularly, the city plans to actively address the shortage of pediatric specialists by establishing a public-private partnership with university hospitals.

Busan Metropolitan City has announced that it will strengthen the functions of Busan Medical Center by providing 24/7 essential medical services to children with chronic illnesses and those requiring hospitalization, which are difficult to provide at private medical institutions.

“Now that construction of the children's hospital has begun in earnest, we will spare no effort in preparing medical and operational aspects in collaboration with Busan Medical Center,” said Cho Gyu-yul, director-general of the Citizen Health Bureau at the municipal government. “We will do our utmost to provide reliable public medical services so that children can grow up healthy.”