The National Firefighter Hospital, operated under consignment by Seoul National University Hospital, announced it will expand pilot outpatient departments available to local residents to 11 starting Wednesday.
Located in the Chungbuk Innovation City in Eumseong-gun, North Chungcheong Province, the National Firefighter Hospital is Korea's first general hospital specializing in health management for firefighting officials. The facility was built on a site with a total floor area of approximately 39,000 square meters, comprising two underground levels and four above-ground floors with 302 beds. Not only firefighters injured in fire, rescue and emergency scenes but also residents regardless of their place of residence can make appointments by phone to receive treatment.
The hospital had been operating pilot services limited to firefighting and police officials since December last year, covering five core departments including internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics and obstetrics and gynecology. After roughly three months, it is expanding outpatient services to a total of 11 departments, adding neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, otolaryngology, psychiatry and family medicine. The hospital plans to open a plastic surgery department next month, with the goal of a full launch of 19 departments in June. After the official opening, the hospital plans to fully activate four specialized centers tailored to firefighting officials — burn care, integrated rehabilitation, mental health and health promotion — as well as a firefighting medicine research institute. It also plans to operate a regional emergency medical center, hyperbaric oxygen therapy facilities and a helipad to strengthen disaster and emergency response capabilities, positioning itself as an essential medical hub in the region. Local residents have high expectations that university hospital-level specialized care will be available through collaborative treatment between specialists dispatched from Seoul National University Hospital and the hospital's own recruited medical staff.
"This expansion of services will provide professional medical welfare at the national level for firefighting families who have dedicated themselves in the field, and serve as an opportunity to share excellent public healthcare benefits with local residents," said Kwak Young-ho, director of the National Firefighter Hospital. "We will continue to do our best to serve as an essential medical hub responsible for community health while strengthening firefighting medical expertise."