Hyundai Asan rebuilds Philippine hospital devastated by Typhoon Haiyan

A public hospital in the Typhoon Haiyan-stricken region of Gian, Eastern Samar, has reopened with 50 beds. Hyundai Asan oversaw the entire project over two years, from construction and licensing to medical equipment procurement and training of local medical staff.

Hyundai Asan announced Wednesday that it had completed the Eastern Samar Public Hospital Reconstruction Project commissioned by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and held an opening ceremony for the Felipe Abrigo Public Hospital in Gian.

The project is an Official Development Assistance initiative aimed at restoring public health infrastructure in the Gian area of Eastern Samar Province, which was damaged by Typhoon Haiyan. It focused on building both the medical facility and the operational systems needed to ensure local residents can receive healthcare services within their community.

Hyundai Asan participated as project management consultant, overseeing the initiative for roughly two years. Its responsibilities included constructing the hospital facility, handling various permits and licenses, monitoring project progress and procuring medical equipment.

Rather than stopping at construction, the company also ran training programs to enable the hospital to operate independently. To that end, it formed a consortium with Ewha Womans University's Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation to bring Philippine medical personnel to South Korea for training and hands-on education.

The new hospital was built to meet the Philippine Department of Health's standards for primary-level hospitals. It comprises two buildings — a main building and an outpatient wing — with a combined 50 beds, and began accepting patients Thursday, the day after the opening ceremony.

About 650 people attended the opening ceremony, including KOICA Philippines Country Director Jeong Yeong-seon, Eastern Samar Governor Evardon, local medical staff, and officials from the local government and legislature.

"The newly rebuilt hospital will serve as a solid foundation for better healthcare in the community and as a symbol of friendship and partnership between South Korea and the Philippines," Jeong said.

Governor Evardon said the hospital would "significantly improve residents' access to and convenience of medical care," and expressed gratitude to the South Korean government, KOICA and other parties involved in the reconstruction.

The Philippine government also took a keen interest in the project. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. visited the hospital on Sept. 25, ahead of the opening, to encourage local medical staff and convey his appreciation to South Korean officials involved in the project.

Hyundai Asan plans to continue capacity-building training for local staff through the end of this year.

"We hope this project will serve as an opportunity to establish a sustainable healthcare system within the Philippine community," the company said. "We will do our utmost to carry out the remaining capacity-building training through year-end so that the project's outcomes take firm root."

Hyundai Asan is Hyundai Group's inter-Korean economic cooperation subsidiary but has expanded into overseas Official Development Assistance and construction. Since entering the ODA sector in 2010, it has completed 117 projects in more than 40 countries and is currently carrying out 14 projects in 10 countries under programs led by KOICA and other agencies.