Nationwide Severe Trauma Care Network to Be Strengthened... First Call for Applications for Two 'Key Regional Trauma Centers'

Ministry of Health and Welfare to Provide Up to 7.71 Billion Won per Institution
Key Role in Final Treatment of Critical and Complex Trauma Patients

The government will newly introduce "key trauma centers" across the country to ensure that severely injured patients can receive definitive treatment in a timely manner no matter where they are. This move is aimed at strengthening the current regional trauma center system, reducing disparities in medical capabilities by region, and establishing a more robust safety net for the treatment of the most severe trauma patients.

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The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on July 20 that it will be accepting applications until August 31 from two regional trauma centers interested in participating in the "2026 Key Trauma Center Establishment Support Project." Each selected institution will receive up to 7.71 billion won, which includes 5.46 billion won for the expansion of facilities and equipment, and 2.25 billion won for the installation and operation of helicopter landing pads.

So far, the government has been operating 17 regional trauma centers nationwide and has established a critical trauma care system. As a result, the preventable trauma mortality rate has dropped from 30.5% in 2015 to 9.1% in 2023. However, due to differences in medical environments and treatment capabilities by region, some areas have continued to face limitations in admitting critically injured patients in a timely manner. In response, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has decided to designate the institutions with the highest capabilities among the existing regional trauma centers as key trauma centers, thereby strengthening the national medical safety network.

Key trauma centers will actively admit patients with severe trauma who cannot be accommodated by regional centers, utilizing emergency medical helicopters (Doctor Helicopter), and will provide final treatment. They will also treat patients requiring highly complex surgeries, as well as those with special trauma such as pediatric or facial injuries. In addition, they will serve as central hubs in a wide-area trauma care network that connects neighboring regional trauma centers, emergency medical institutions, and 119 emergency rescue teams.

To participate in the project, institutions must treat more than 1,300 trauma patients and over 400 severe trauma patients annually. They must also meet operating standards, such as establishing a wide-area trauma treatment network and maintaining the annual hours in which trauma patient admission is limited to within 500 hours. Institutions will be selected based on a comprehensive review of their medical infrastructure and capabilities, the validity of their project plans, and their commitment to implementation.

Lee Joongyu, director of public health policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "With the new key trauma centers and the strengthened severe trauma care system, we hope that every patient at the crossroads of life and death will be able to receive the best possible treatment, no matter where they are in the country."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.