Inha University Hospital chief takes helm of Incheon hospital association, vows to build regional critical care network

Lee Taek, president of Inha University Hospital and medical director of Inha University Medical Center, took office as the 14th chairman of the Incheon Metropolitan City Hospital Association.

The association held its general assembly and inauguration ceremony Tuesday at Sheraton Grand Incheon Hotel, where members elected Lee to the post. His two-year term runs through June 30, 2028.

In his inaugural address, Lee said inter-hospital cooperation was essential to meeting the challenges of a rapidly changing healthcare environment.

"As we enter a super-aged society and undergo a major restructuring of the medical delivery system, building an integrated critical care network among hospitals is indispensable — both to reduce preventable mortality and to resolve the problem of patients being turned away from one emergency room to the next," he said.

He added that the association would focus its efforts on completing an Incheon-style, regionally self-sufficient medical system — one in which university hospitals, general hospitals and smaller medical institutions work in a virtuous cycle, providing treatment and transferring patients according to their condition.

Lee also said he would push the association beyond a simple consultative body, drawing on the active participation and cooperation of member hospitals so that residents could feel a tangible difference.

The ceremony was attended by Incheon Mayor Park Chan-dae, Korean Hospital Association Chairman Yoo Gyeong-ha, Incheon Metropolitan City Medical Association Chairman Park Cheol-won and other regional healthcare officials.

The event included commendations presented by the Incheon mayor and the Korean Hospital Association chairman, appointments of new officers, a grant for association activities, and reports on last year's project results and this year's plans.

The Incheon Metropolitan City Hospital Association operates under the Korean Hospital Association as a regional chapter, working to improve the quality of local healthcare services and promote public health through efforts to reform hospital management systems, conduct medical policy research and support healthcare worker education.