Korea University Guro Hospital, headed by Hospital Director Min Byeong-uk, will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for Saeam Hospital at 4 p.m. on the 22nd. The ceremony marks the hospital’s full-scale transformation into a tertiary general hospital specializing in severe diseases.
Saeam Hospital at Korea University Guro Hospital will go beyond simply expanding clinical space. It will be developed as a future-oriented cancer treatment platform encompassing severe and essential medical care as well as precision cancer treatment. The facility will have a total floor area of approximately 9,214 pyeong (30,458 square meters), with nine basement levels and six above-ground floors, and is targeted for completion by the end of 2029.
◇ Expanding Infrastructure for Severe and Essential Medical Care and Strengthening the Foundation for Precision Cancer Treatment
The construction of Saeam Hospital is the second phase of Korea University Guro Hospital’s master plan to reorganize the hospital around the treatment of patients with severe conditions, a project that has been pursued since 2019. The first phase involved constructing Mirae Building, which was completed in September 2022. Through the construction of Saeam Hospital, Korea University Guro Hospital plans to further advance its care system in two directions: strengthening a severe and essential medical care platform centered on specialized centers, and shifting toward a patient-tailored precision cancer treatment paradigm.
Saeam Hospital’s vision rests on two core pillars. The first is strengthening a severe and essential medical care platform centered on specialized centers. The hospital will add 25 intensive care unit beds and seven operating rooms, while expanding the regional emergency medical center to approximately twice its current size. These measures will enhance its capacity to provide intensive care for the growing number of high-risk, severely ill and emergency patients, while reinforcing the foundation for severe and essential medical care by organically linking emergency treatment, surgery and intensive care.
The second vision for Saeam Hospital is a shift toward patient-tailored precision cancer treatment. In a larger and more comfortable environment, the hospital will bring together testing, consultation and treatment infrastructure for cancer care. It will establish an integrated care system linking cancer-specific specialized centers, multidisciplinary care and precision medicine-based personalized treatment. The hospital will expand and establish centers for breast cancer, thyroid cancer, gastrointestinal endoscopy and respiratory diseases, along with an anticancer treatment room, to strengthen disease-specific expertise. By minimizing patient travel within the facility, it will create a more convenient and efficient patient-centered care environment.
◇ Evolving into Future-Oriented Cancer Care and Setting a New Standard for Patient-Tailored Treatment
Another key strength of Saeam Hospital at Korea University Guro Hospital will be patient-tailored cancer treatment based on multidisciplinary care. In 2009, when multidisciplinary care was still unfamiliar in South Korea, Korea University Guro Hospital introduced the country’s first multidisciplinary care system, presenting a new direction for cancer treatment. It currently operates specialized multidisciplinary teams for breast, lung, colorectal, esophageal, head and neck, pancreatobiliary, liver, stomach and thymic cancers, improving patient survival rates.
The ability to provide various anticancer treatments tailored to each patient’s characteristics is another strength of Korea University Guro Hospital. It uses a range of therapies, including targeted and immuno-oncology treatments, and provides personalized anticancer care based on patients’ genetic and immune status. The hospital also actively participates in clinical trials and research into new anticancer therapies, continuing its efforts to apply the latest treatments in actual clinical practice. Thanks to these efforts, Korea University Guro Hospital has maintained the highest grade for colorectal, stomach, breast and lung cancer care for more than five consecutive years in the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service (HIRA) quality evaluations, solidifying its reputation as a hospital with cancer care capabilities trusted by patients.
Once Saeam Hospital is completed, facilities and functions related to cancer care—from testing and consultation to treatment—will be concentrated in one location. This is expected to further strengthen an integrated cancer care system that organically connects cancer-specific multidisciplinary care with precision medicine. The hospital also plans to further develop a research-clinical care-linked precision cancer treatment system by connecting its accumulated research capabilities and active clinical trials as a research-oriented hospital with patient care. Through these efforts, it will build a future-oriented cancer treatment platform that organically links testing and diagnosis, multidisciplinary consultations, personalized treatment, research and clinical trials.
Min Byeong-uk, Hospital Director of Korea University Guro Hospital, said, "The construction of Saeam Hospital is not simply a project to expand the hospital’s size. It is an important turning point that will take Korea University Guro Hospital’s accumulated capabilities in severe and essential medical care and cancer treatment to the next level. Korea University Guro Hospital will further strengthen its established strengths, including multidisciplinary care, personalized treatment and robotic surgery. At the same time, we will provide the care patients need more quickly and precisely, while organically connecting research and clinical practice to establish a new standard for patient-tailored treatment. We will also continue working to develop new treatments and strengthen our capabilities in severe and essential medical care, becoming a hospital trusted even more by patients and the local community."
Jang Jong-ho, Reporter, bellho@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
