Leading the advancement of veterans' medical services with a convergent medical system
The Central Veterans Hospital, which provides comprehensive medical services for people of national merit, has established a system comparable to that of a higher general hospital and has become a representative medical institution in the region. While achieving remarkable growth in terms of medical research, I met with Director Yoo Geun-young, who is in his second year in office, to hear about past achievements and future goals.
Director Yoo Geunyoung
(Current) Director of the Central Veterans Hospital, Honorary Professor of the Medical School of Seoul National University, Member of the Policy Advisory Committee of the Ministry of National Defense, Honorary Professor of the National Cancer Center, Former Director of the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Vice Chairman of the Korea Cancer Association, President of the Korean Society for Preventive Medicine, Director of the National Cancer Center, and Professor of Medical School of Seoul National University
Park Bo-hyun, CEO of B&H Korea (hereinafter referred to as Park Bo-hyun)
It is your second year in office as the director of the Central Veterans Hospital, and you have made a lot of achievements despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 period. Please introduce yourself and introduce your achievements after taking office.
Director Yoo Geun-young of the Central Veterans Hospital (hereinafter referred to as Yoo Geun-young).
Two years have passed since I took office as the Director of the Central Veterans Hospital in May 2021. Before taking office, I served at Seoul National University Medical School as a professor for 34 years and led research to preemptively prevent cancer, the No. 1 cause of death for the Korean people.
This is the third time for me as the head of a public medical institution. I have previously served as the head of the National Cancer Center and the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. The core value of the Central Veterans Hospital is the treatment of people of national merit. Since taking office, I have been trying to provide advanced medical services in preparation for the seriousness of diseases caused by the aging of veterans. For example, it has achieved more than 500 cases within two years of the introduction of the Da Vinci robotic surgery machine, which is comparable to that of a higher general hospital. It has strengthened the ability to treat severe cancer patients by replacing one linear accelerator with the latest model.
It will also gradually expand the introduction of a high-pass system for medical expenses, mobile services, and outpatient one-stop services for the convenience of patients. In particular, it has played a role as a representative medical institution that provides high-level medical services, achieving first grade in 12 categories of medical care benefits, being recognized as the best institution for public health care plan implementation for five consecutive years, and being selected as the best hospice and palliative care institution for 4th consecutive year.
In addition, we continue to make efforts to recruit excellent professionals by expanding the performance-oriented contract specialist system and setting guidelines for hiring outstanding professionals who exceed the retirement age. In the field of research, it contributes to revitalizing the medical industry ecosystem by laying the foundation for becoming a research-oriented medical institution by carrying out government national projects in various fields, obtaining patents for guaranteed R&D, and transferring technologies to small and medium-sized enterprises, performing a large-scale robot convergence model demonstration project based on AI•5G.
Park, Bohyun: I wonder what the difference between Veterans Hospital and General Hospitals and University Hospitals is. In general, it feels veterans' hospitals are unfamiliar, but when I visited here in person, I found that the size of the hospital is large and the medical service is excellent. Please introduce the operation status of Veterans Hospital.
Yoo Geun-young: It was established in 1953 as the birthplace of Daegu's second ward hospital, and in 1983, the 440-bed Seoul Veterans Hospital with the latest facilities was completed in Dunchon-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, and developed into a large hospital with 1,400 beds in 2014. Since then, the Veterans Medical Research Institute has opened in 2018 to perform medical and disease research functions suitable for the characteristics of veterans, and is set to expand and open dental hospitals with 110 units in 2023 to address dental demand of the aging of veterans.
Currently, with more than 2,500 employees including 320 doctors it has established a convergent medical system that enables acute, rehabilitation, nursing, and home care within a single institution to provide comprehensive health promotion services for all diseases of veterans. In addition, it is leading the advancement of veterans' medical services as well as medical specialization by focusing on treating high-level incurable diseases with cutting-edge equipment with Davichi robotic surgery, linear accelerator, PET/CT, and ANGIO at 11 specialized centers.
Park, Bohyun: What is the specialized medical technology of the Central Veterans Hospital?
Yoo Geun-young: The Central Veterans Hospital operates a specialized center for severe and senile diseases. As I said earlier, it is time to prepare for the seriousness of the disease caused by the aging of veterans. In 2015, an organ transplant (renal) surgery was performed for the first at a special public medical institution. In 2021, the first kidney transplant with a donation of a brain-dead was succeeded through a multidisciplinary cooperative system. Eleven specialized centers including a robot center are opening a new path for veterans' medical care with specialized capabilities for the most difficult diseases such as robot liver resection, percutaneous aortic valve replacement, balloon cooling ceramic resection, vascular bypass surgery, cerebral aneurysm endovascular embolization, and onyx embolization for arterial deformities.
Rehabilitation center and assisting devices center also provide the best services in the country. The rehabilitation center is the largest in Korea with 180 separate rehabilitation beds and provides patient-specific rehabilitation services such as upper and lower extremities robot rehabilitation and underwater rehabilitation.
Park, Bohyun: It appears to represent continuous performance in terms of medical research.
Yoo Geun-young: We are leading advanced medical research centered on the Veterans' medical research institute and the assisting device center. The Veterans Medical Research Institute has established 14 disease-oriented cohorts at the BioBank (Human Resources Bank) to contribute to the development of veterans' medicine and the advancement of the medical industry through the development of new drugs and medical technologies and the implementation of precision medicine. It is also continuing to develop as a public health and medical research hub by establishing a research cooperation network such as conducting joint research through business agreements with institutions in various fields.
Park Bohyun: People of national merit and their families who have experienced a special situation of war are likely to be different from ordinary people in terms of diseases being treated. Please explain if there is also a specialized center for them.
Yoo Geun-young: People of national merit who are injured in war or the military often have their body parts cut off by bombs and landmines. In order to restore their physical function, the Assisting Device Center provides specialized assisting equipment for more than 50 types of disabilities including prosthetic limbs and eyeballs. The Central Veterans Hospital Assisting Device Center, which started as the National Employee Rehabilitation Center in 1964, is currently the largest in Korea. Sergeant Ha Jae-heon, a reserve officer who lost his leg to a North Korean wooden ship mine, is also one of the beneficiaries of walking on two feet again through the Center. We provide state-of-the-art security equipment not only for people of national merit but also for the general disabled. Recently, it has accelerated research and development beyond the production of devices, leading the industrialization of assisting devices in the county in cooperation with leading research institutes and venture companies in Korea. Social contribution activities have also continued, such as transferring patented technology to small and medium-sized companies and donating electric wheelchairs.
Park Bohyun: There are many challenges, such as a decrease in the number of people of national merit who use veterans hospitals and difficulties in recruiting excellent medical personnel. Please tell me about the development direction of Veterans Hospital in the future.
Yoo Geun-young: With the promotion of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in June, the Central Veterans Hospital is also set to undergo major innovation. In the future, we plan to solidify our role as a public medical institution for the people as well as those of national merit. The reality is that even though the Central Veterans Hospital has a specialized medical infrastructure equivalent to that of a higher general hospital nationwide, it is not fully utilized due to a lack of connection and communication between institutions. This is why the establishment of the Veterans Medical Center, which operates six veterans hospitals and two nursing hospitals, is being discussed. If a control tower is created to tie the link between medical-welfare-care-rehabilitation, we can also expect to strengthen public health with the medical infrastructure of Veterans Hospital.
Before this, the Central Veterans Hospital is upgrading the quality of medical care for severely ill patients to faithfully fulfill the role of a tertiary medical institution. In addition, to revitalize professional medical centers and recruit excellent medical staff, we will improve the working environment of medical staff by creating a research environment and extending the retirement age. Furthermore, it plans to grow into a "smart hospital" specialized in veterans' medical care in line with the 4th industrial era.
By establishing a next-generation information system (HIS), we will improve precision medical care and patient safety, and build our own mobile app to add medical convenience. Then, as it enters the second year of the "AI• 5G-based large-scale robot convergence model project," we plan to upgrade the integrated control system of riders and make efforts to smart medical sites through digital conversion projects. Through these efforts, the future goal is to strengthen its role as a "public medical institution in the southeastern region" in Seoul.
(Current) Director of the Central Veterans Hospital, Honorary Professor of the Medical School of Seoul National University, Member of the Policy Advisory Committee of the Ministry of National Defense, Honorary Professor of the National Cancer Center, Former Director of the Armed Forces Capital Hospital, Vice Chairman of the Korea Cancer Association, President of the Korean Society for Preventive Medicine, Director of the National Cancer Center, and Professor of Medical School of Seoul National University
Park Bo-hyun, CEO of B&H Korea (hereinafter referred to as Park Bo-hyun)
It is your second year in office as the director of the Central Veterans Hospital, and you have made a lot of achievements despite the difficulties of the COVID-19 period. Please introduce yourself and introduce your achievements after taking office.
Director Yoo Geun-young of the Central Veterans Hospital (hereinafter referred to as Yoo Geun-young).
Two years have passed since I took office as the Director of the Central Veterans Hospital in May 2021. Before taking office, I served at Seoul National University Medical School as a professor for 34 years and led research to preemptively prevent cancer, the No. 1 cause of death for the Korean people.
This is the third time for me as the head of a public medical institution. I have previously served as the head of the National Cancer Center and the Armed Forces Capital Hospital. The core value of the Central Veterans Hospital is the treatment of people of national merit. Since taking office, I have been trying to provide advanced medical services in preparation for the seriousness of diseases caused by the aging of veterans. For example, it has achieved more than 500 cases within two years of the introduction of the Da Vinci robotic surgery machine, which is comparable to that of a higher general hospital. It has strengthened the ability to treat severe cancer patients by replacing one linear accelerator with the latest model.
It will also gradually expand the introduction of a high-pass system for medical expenses, mobile services, and outpatient one-stop services for the convenience of patients. In particular, it has played a role as a representative medical institution that provides high-level medical services, achieving first grade in 12 categories of medical care benefits, being recognized as the best institution for public health care plan implementation for five consecutive years, and being selected as the best hospice and palliative care institution for 4th consecutive year.
In addition, we continue to make efforts to recruit excellent professionals by expanding the performance-oriented contract specialist system and setting guidelines for hiring outstanding professionals who exceed the retirement age. In the field of research, it contributes to revitalizing the medical industry ecosystem by laying the foundation for becoming a research-oriented medical institution by carrying out government national projects in various fields, obtaining patents for guaranteed R&D, and transferring technologies to small and medium-sized enterprises, performing a large-scale robot convergence model demonstration project based on AI•5G.
Park, Bohyun: I wonder what the difference between Veterans Hospital and General Hospitals and University Hospitals is. In general, it feels veterans' hospitals are unfamiliar, but when I visited here in person, I found that the size of the hospital is large and the medical service is excellent. Please introduce the operation status of Veterans Hospital.
Yoo Geun-young: It was established in 1953 as the birthplace of Daegu's second ward hospital, and in 1983, the 440-bed Seoul Veterans Hospital with the latest facilities was completed in Dunchon-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, and developed into a large hospital with 1,400 beds in 2014. Since then, the Veterans Medical Research Institute has opened in 2018 to perform medical and disease research functions suitable for the characteristics of veterans, and is set to expand and open dental hospitals with 110 units in 2023 to address dental demand of the aging of veterans.
Currently, with more than 2,500 employees including 320 doctors it has established a convergent medical system that enables acute, rehabilitation, nursing, and home care within a single institution to provide comprehensive health promotion services for all diseases of veterans. In addition, it is leading the advancement of veterans' medical services as well as medical specialization by focusing on treating high-level incurable diseases with cutting-edge equipment with Davichi robotic surgery, linear accelerator, PET/CT, and ANGIO at 11 specialized centers.
Park, Bohyun: What is the specialized medical technology of the Central Veterans Hospital?
Yoo Geun-young: The Central Veterans Hospital operates a specialized center for severe and senile diseases. As I said earlier, it is time to prepare for the seriousness of the disease caused by the aging of veterans. In 2015, an organ transplant (renal) surgery was performed for the first at a special public medical institution. In 2021, the first kidney transplant with a donation of a brain-dead was succeeded through a multidisciplinary cooperative system. Eleven specialized centers including a robot center are opening a new path for veterans' medical care with specialized capabilities for the most difficult diseases such as robot liver resection, percutaneous aortic valve replacement, balloon cooling ceramic resection, vascular bypass surgery, cerebral aneurysm endovascular embolization, and onyx embolization for arterial deformities.
Rehabilitation center and assisting devices center also provide the best services in the country. The rehabilitation center is the largest in Korea with 180 separate rehabilitation beds and provides patient-specific rehabilitation services such as upper and lower extremities robot rehabilitation and underwater rehabilitation.
Park, Bohyun: It appears to represent continuous performance in terms of medical research.
Yoo Geun-young: We are leading advanced medical research centered on the Veterans' medical research institute and the assisting device center. The Veterans Medical Research Institute has established 14 disease-oriented cohorts at the BioBank (Human Resources Bank) to contribute to the development of veterans' medicine and the advancement of the medical industry through the development of new drugs and medical technologies and the implementation of precision medicine. It is also continuing to develop as a public health and medical research hub by establishing a research cooperation network such as conducting joint research through business agreements with institutions in various fields.
Park Bohyun: People of national merit and their families who have experienced a special situation of war are likely to be different from ordinary people in terms of diseases being treated. Please explain if there is also a specialized center for them.
Yoo Geun-young: People of national merit who are injured in war or the military often have their body parts cut off by bombs and landmines. In order to restore their physical function, the Assisting Device Center provides specialized assisting equipment for more than 50 types of disabilities including prosthetic limbs and eyeballs. The Central Veterans Hospital Assisting Device Center, which started as the National Employee Rehabilitation Center in 1964, is currently the largest in Korea. Sergeant Ha Jae-heon, a reserve officer who lost his leg to a North Korean wooden ship mine, is also one of the beneficiaries of walking on two feet again through the Center. We provide state-of-the-art security equipment not only for people of national merit but also for the general disabled. Recently, it has accelerated research and development beyond the production of devices, leading the industrialization of assisting devices in the county in cooperation with leading research institutes and venture companies in Korea. Social contribution activities have also continued, such as transferring patented technology to small and medium-sized companies and donating electric wheelchairs.
Park Bohyun: There are many challenges, such as a decrease in the number of people of national merit who use veterans hospitals and difficulties in recruiting excellent medical personnel. Please tell me about the development direction of Veterans Hospital in the future.
Yoo Geun-young: With the promotion of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs in June, the Central Veterans Hospital is also set to undergo major innovation. In the future, we plan to solidify our role as a public medical institution for the people as well as those of national merit. The reality is that even though the Central Veterans Hospital has a specialized medical infrastructure equivalent to that of a higher general hospital nationwide, it is not fully utilized due to a lack of connection and communication between institutions. This is why the establishment of the Veterans Medical Center, which operates six veterans hospitals and two nursing hospitals, is being discussed. If a control tower is created to tie the link between medical-welfare-care-rehabilitation, we can also expect to strengthen public health with the medical infrastructure of Veterans Hospital.
Before this, the Central Veterans Hospital is upgrading the quality of medical care for severely ill patients to faithfully fulfill the role of a tertiary medical institution. In addition, to revitalize professional medical centers and recruit excellent medical staff, we will improve the working environment of medical staff by creating a research environment and extending the retirement age. Furthermore, it plans to grow into a "smart hospital" specialized in veterans' medical care in line with the 4th industrial era.
By establishing a next-generation information system (HIS), we will improve precision medical care and patient safety, and build our own mobile app to add medical convenience. Then, as it enters the second year of the "AI• 5G-based large-scale robot convergence model project," we plan to upgrade the integrated control system of riders and make efforts to smart medical sites through digital conversion projects. Through these efforts, the future goal is to strengthen its role as a "public medical institution in the southeastern region" in Seoul.
Interview #Medius #Yoo Geun-young #Central Veterans Hospital #Man of National Merit #Hiring over-aged specialists #Veteran Medical Research Institute # eligible Veteran #Assisting Devices Center #Robot Convergence Model #ConvergenceTreatment System #Korean Renowned Doctor# Interview with renowned doctor # Recommendation renowned doctor #Renowned doctor # Medius #MDUS
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