Hospitals to exchange medical staff, share regional care experience

Two-year MOU; details of cooperation to be discussed separately

Officials from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Gyeongsang National University Hospital pose for a photo after signing an MOU on medical workforce exchange and cooperation, at the main building of the Catholic University of Korea on Tuesday.[Courtesy of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]
Officials from Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Gyeongsang National University Hospital pose for a photo after signing an MOU on medical workforce exchange and cooperation, at the main building of the Catholic University of Korea on Tuesday.[Courtesy of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital]

The Catholic University of Korea's Seoul St. Mary's Hospital will expand cooperation with Gyeongsang National University Hospital in medical staff exchange, clinical practice, education, research and academic activities.

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital said it signed an MOU with Gyeongsang National University Hospital on Tuesday for medical workforce exchange and cooperation, at the main building of the Catholic University of Korea.

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital officials attending included Lee Ji-yeol, president, and Shin Hee-jun, vice president for spirituality.

Also attending were Jeong Nak-gyun, director of the children's hospital, and Kim Soo-hwan, director of the clinical cooperation center.

Gyeongsang National University Hospital was represented by Hwa Jeong-seok, president; Park Eun-sil, vice president for clinical affairs; and Park Ki-su, vice president for public health affairs.

Also attending were Kim Seong-hun, secretary general, and Cheon Yun-hong, director of external cooperation.

The MOU calls for the two institutions to build on their accumulated clinical and research capabilities in severe and essential care.

They also plan to share experience in medically underserved fields and pursue exchanges of medical personnel.

This marks the first direct agreement between Seoul St. Mary's Hospital and Gyeongsang National University Hospital. Although the two hospitals are about 300 kilometers apart, they plan to link their respective strengths to explore a new model of medical cooperation.

The two institutions will broaden cooperation by linking Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's clinical and research capabilities with Gyeongsang National University Hospital's experience.

Gyeongsang runs a regionally self-sufficient system for severe, emergency and essential care.

The agreement covers the exchange and support of medical personnel, as well as the sharing of experience and information on public health and regional essential care.

It also includes exchange in clinical practice, education, research and academic fields.

The agreement runs for two years. The two hospitals will also work together to strengthen clinical capabilities in medically underserved fields. Specific topics and methods of cooperation will be discussed separately, taking into account each institution's circumstances and needs on the ground.

The backgrounds of the two hospital presidents also stand out. Lee Ji-yeol, president of Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, and Hwa Jeong-seok, president of Gyeongsang National University Hospital, are both urologists specializing in urologic cancer, with extensive experience in patient care and surgery.

Both previously served as heads of robotic surgery centers at their respective institutions. Lee served as Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's first smart hospital director, leading a customized care system built on advanced information and communication technology.

When Hwa took office, he likewise set biomedical research and an AI-based, research-focused smart hospital as key directions for Gyeongsang National University Hospital.

The two hospitals plan to pursue cooperation in medical personnel exchange as well as in clinical practice, education, research and academic fields.

They will link Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's clinical and research capabilities with Gyeongsang National University Hospital's experience running a regionally self-sufficient system for severe, emergency and essential care.

"We will build a practical cooperation model that complements Seoul St. Mary's Hospital's clinical and research capabilities with Gyeongsang National University Hospital's experience running a regionally self-sufficient essential care system," Lee said.

"Through mutual exchange in medical personnel, clinical practice, education, research and academic activities, we will work to ensure that local residents reliably receive the care they need," Hwa said.

Meanwhile, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital has been expanding its network of clinical cooperation with regional medical institutions through a support project for restructuring tertiary general hospitals.

At a meeting on strengthening clinical cooperation held in June 2025, 114 staff members from 80 partner institutions attended.

The hospital said it was at the time operating referral and return e-forms, a fast track, and clinical information sharing across 169 partner institutions.


woo@heraldcorp.com