[Sportschosun] Severance Children's Hospital held a ceremony on the 20th at the Grand Ballroom of Baekyang Nuri at Yonsei University to mark its 20th anniversary.
The event was attended by key figures including Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung, National Assembly member Kim Dong-ah, and Ki Chang Keum, president of Yonsei University Health System (YUHS).
Severance Children's Hospital opened in 2006 as the first pediatric specialty hospital run by a private medical institution in South Korea, carrying on the 141-year tradition of pediatric care that began at Chejungwon, the country's first modern medical institution established in 1885.
From its early days, Chejungwon treated a wide range of pediatric illnesses, including stomach pain, whooping cough, and cholera-related diarrhea. It also administered vaccinations to prevent smallpox. A separate vaccination room was operated inside Chejungwon, and that space served as a pediatric clinic.
Since then, YUHS has continued to achieve a series of firsts in pediatric medicine in South Korea. In 1975, it formally established a pediatric surgery division as an independent specialty for the first time in the country. In 1980, it opened the nation's first pediatric endoscopy room, building a more precise care environment for children. In 1982, it began operating a neonatal intensive care unit, creating a specialized and systematic intensive care system for premature and critically ill newborns.
In June 1999, the Children's Specialized Clinic opened. Located on the second floor of Severance Hospital, the clinic marked the beginning of a full-scale era of specialized pediatric care, with departments such as pediatric psychiatry, clinical genetics, pediatric surgery, pediatric orthopedics, pediatric neurosurgery, and pediatric urology beginning outpatient services alongside pediatrics.
At the time of its opening on June 15, 2006, Severance Children's Hospital was designed with the goal of being "a hospital where children can feel comfortable." Its child-friendly outpatient and inpatient wards, neonatal intensive care unit, sterile rooms, examination rooms, and children's hospital school were all placed in one space to reduce travel burdens for patients and caregivers and improve continuity of care. It also strengthened multidisciplinary care through clinics such as a pediatric cancer specialty clinic, allowing children with complex conditions to receive consultations from specialists in multiple fields.
Today, Severance Children's Hospital has established strengths in treating critically ill children and managing rare diseases. It has expanded high-level intensive care infrastructure, including the neonatal intensive care unit, pediatric intensive care unit (PICU), and pediatric cardiac intensive care unit. It also established the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Division, further advancing its system for treating severely ill children. In 2021, it launched SaveKids, the country's first pediatric rapid response team, to detect early signs of deterioration in hospitalized children and respond quickly. Thanks to these efforts, the hospital treated 177,572 outpatients and 57,612 inpatients last year.
Public healthcare is another important pillar of Severance Children's Hospital. The hospital has been designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) as a Children's Public Specialized Medical Center, carrying out a public role in the treatment of critically ill children. In 2022, it opened the Severe Pediatric Home Medical Care Team, helping children and their families continue stable care at home even after hospital treatment.
The hospital is also helping set the standard for future pediatric medicine in the fields of rare and genetic diseases and precision medicine. Severance Children's Hospital was selected by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) as a Regional Rare Disease Specialized Medical Institution, and through the Hanam Precision Medicine Center, it is strengthening its capabilities in precision diagnosis and personalized treatment based on genetic information and clinical data.
Its expansion into developmental disorders and mental health is also notable. Last year, it opened the Min Yoongi Center, the country's first integrated treatment center for autism spectrum disorder. The center was established to provide children with developmental disabilities and their families with a more specialized and integrated treatment environment. Severance Children's Hospital is now extending its care beyond physical illness to include emotional, developmental, and family support.
Cheon Geun-ah, director of Severance Children's Hospital and professor of pediatric psychiatry, said, "The past 20 years have been a time when Severance Children's Hospital has set new standards for pediatric medicine in Korea." She added, "Going forward, we will move beyond simply treating disease and become a hospital that also looks after a child's growth and development, family recovery, and transition into adulthood."
Jang Jong-ho
