The nine national university hospitals across the country will be transferred to the Ministry of Health and Welfare starting the 20th… “Nurturing as a key foothold for local medical care”

Starting tomorrow, the nine national university hospitals will transfer control from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Welfare. The Welfare Ministry plans to establish the national university hospitals as key points of regional healthcare. The Welfare Ministry announced on the 19th that the statute governing national university (dentistry) hospitals and the statute governing national university dental hospitals will be amended on the 20th, leading to the reassignment of the hospitals' control from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Welfare.

This change aims to strengthen regional, essential, and public healthcare by developing national university hospitals into key regional hospitals.

Notably, Seoul National University Hospital will be excluded from this transfer due to its separate "Seoul National University Hospital Act." The Welfare Ministry intends to expand financial support step by step to enhance the clinical, research, educational, and public policy functions of the national university hospitals. To address the shortage of essential medical personnel, the Ministry plans to bolster the faculty by recruiting 460+ experienced faculty members over a four-year period.

The Ministry will focus on specific specialties tailored to each region's medical demands and the strengths of national university hospitals. These specializations will be selected based on the regional healthcare needs and the unique capabilities of the national university hospitals. By concentrating resources and attention on these areas, the hospitals will foster competitive excellence in critical and essential medical fields, ensuring that local residents can access necessary treatments without needing to travel to urban centers.

The Welfare Ministry plans to strengthen its role as a coordination center for regional healthcare facilities. As a hub of top-tier medical capabilities within the region, national university hospitals will efficiently utilize scarce medical resources. Furthermore, the government aims to establish standardized transfer and treatment guidelines for critical patients, as well as a collaborative framework for sharing medical personnel, equipment, and expertise among healthcare institutions.

To facilitate this, the Ministry intends to dissolve the regulatory oversight of certain public agencies, granting the national university hospitals greater autonomy in managing their operations while preserving their public character and accountability.