Province signs MOU with Dankook University Hospital for construction and operation of pediatric facility in Naepo new town
South Chungcheong Province has partnered with Dankook University Hospital to ensure the successful construction and stable operation of the Naepo Children's Hospital, the first phase of a comprehensive medical facility project in Naepo new town.
South Chungcheong Province Governor Park Soo-hyun signed an MOU on the construction and entrusted operation of the Naepo Children's Hospital with Dankook University Hospital President Kim Jae-il at the provincial government building Wednesday.
The agreement aims to establish a new hub for pediatric care in the region through close cooperation between the province and Dankook University Hospital across all stages — from construction and pre-opening preparations to full operation.
Under the MOU, the two parties will cooperate on the successful construction of the hospital, building an efficient medical and operational system, securing medical personnel and preparing for operations, and addressing all matters necessary for a smooth opening.
The province will provide the architectural, administrative and fiscal groundwork, while Dankook University Hospital will draw on its experience in pediatric care and hospital management to establish the hospital's medical framework and assemble an appropriate team of healthcare professionals.
Park thanked Dankook University Hospital for its commitment and said the agreement carries significant meaning, as it lays the foundation not only for the successful construction of the Naepo Children's Hospital but also for a stable pediatric healthcare system in South Chungcheong Province through smooth post-opening operations.
The Naepo Children's Hospital is being built on a medical facility site in Naepo new town in Hongbuk-eup, Hongseong-gun, with a total investment of 48.7 billion won ($36.5 million). The facility will have three above-ground floors and one below-ground level, covering a total floor area of 5,326 square meters.
Designed as a pediatric-specialized hospital, it will feature a dedicated children's emergency room, outpatient clinics and inpatient wards. Construction is scheduled for completion in April 2028, with the hospital set to open in October of the same year.
The province and Dankook University Hospital have been discussing operational details — including medical departments, bed capacity and clinical spaces — through a working-level consultative body since August. The results of those discussions are currently being reflected in design revisions.
The two institutions have agreed to add a pediatric dentistry department, expanding the hospital's clinical services. For inpatient wards, they decided to reduce the number of four-bed rooms and increase single-occupancy rooms to prevent cross-infection and better accommodate patient family preferences. The ward configuration has been adjusted to 17 rooms with 30 beds in total — 10 single rooms, four double rooms and three four-bed rooms.
Going forward, the province and Dankook University Hospital plan to accelerate opening preparations — covering detailed design, medical personnel, equipment, information systems and operational planning — through the working-level consultative body, while sequentially advancing follow-up steps such as finalizing the operational plan and signing the entrustment and management contract.
Once the Naepo Children's Hospital opens, the province expects it to form a "regionally self-sufficient medical system" together with the province's hub university hospital and tertiary care center, allowing pediatric patients in South Chungcheong Province to receive comprehensive care — from primary to tertiary specialist treatment — without traveling to the Greater Seoul area.
The opening is also expected to significantly improve access to pediatric care for residents of Naepo new town and the southwestern parts of South Chungcheong Province, enhance living conditions in Naepo new town, and help attract public institutions relocating from the Greater Seoul area.
The province plans to determine the specific direction for the second phase of the Naepo new town comprehensive medical facility project — a serious illness and specialized care center — based on the results of a feasibility study and an analysis of policy and fiscal conditions.
Park said that when the Naepo Children's Hospital opens, it will end the desperation felt by pediatric patients and their parents and serve as a solid hub for addressing the "pediatric healthcare gap" in South Chungcheong Province. He added that the province will work to make the hospital a nationally recognized success model for public pediatric care, built on the medical capabilities and expertise of Dankook University Hospital, which has long handled serious illness and emergency care in the province.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
