St. Peter's Hospital signs a regional trauma network MOU with the National Medical Center

 St. Peter's Hospital signs a regional trauma network MOU with the National Medical Center

Referrals and transfers back to ensure timely, prompt care for emergency patients

Reporter Kim, A Reum ar-ks486@bokuennews.com / 2025.11.24 15:07:58



St. Peter's Hospital is joining with the National Medical Center to establish a system for rapid trauma and emergency care in the region and to improve the efficiency of local medical resources.

St. Peter's Hospital (President Yoon, Kangjun), a general hospital focused on spine, joint and cerebro-cardiovascular care, announced on the 24th that on the 18th it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Seoul Regional Trauma Center of the National Medical Center to build a regional trauma network.

The signing ceremony was attended by key figures from both sides, including Yoon, Min Ha, Administrative Director of St. Peter's Hospital, and Yoon Seok-hwa, Director of the Seoul Regional Trauma Center at the National Medical Center. Yoo Hee-jung, head of the medical cooperation team at St. Peter's Hospital, and Oh Mi-kyung and Kim Mi-jung, trauma coordinators at the National Medical Center, also took part, affirming their commitment to building a practical framework for cooperation.

For trauma patients, the initial response and transfer determine the outcome, and receiving prompt, appropriate treatment in that process matters more than anything. Recently, however, more patients have had to move from one medical institution to another, and concerns about gaps in emergency care, particularly for trauma patients, have been growing.

As a leading regional general hospital, St. Peter's Hospital has therefore decided to establish a medical cooperation framework with the National Medical Center, in order to help trauma patients in the Seoul region gain access to treatment and secure the golden hour for care. With infrastructure and clinical capabilities specialized in the treatment of traumatic conditions, including those of the spine and joints, and in emergency surgery, the hospital plans to work actively to advance its cooperation framework with the National Medical Center for responding to emergency patients.

Through this agreement, the two institutions will establish a two-way transfer system for prompt trauma care. First, when a trauma patient arises, the patient will be referred or transferred quickly to St. Peter's Hospital to ease congestion at the National Medical Center. For severe trauma and high-risk patients, treatment and transfer will be directed to the National Medical Center to improve patient survival rates and the safety of treatment.

The two institutions will also establish a system for prompt mutual referral and transfer of emergency patients and will share related medical information to improve the efficiency of treatment. They also plan to expand flexible collaboration in whatever other areas the two institutions judge necessary.

St. Peter's Hospital recently expanded the emergency room on the first floor of its new wing, strengthening its emergency care capacity. In addition, it has been systematically building up its clinical capabilities in trauma, establishing a Department of General Surgery and recruiting Professor Park, Kwan Tae, formerly of Korea University College of Medicine and an authority on abdominal and vascular surgery. Another strength is that rapid multidisciplinary collaborative care is possible on the basis of its expertise in spine, joint and cerebro-cardiovascular care. The hospital expects that building this regional trauma network will further strengthen the synergy behind precise, rapid care for trauma patients in the region in the years ahead.

Yoon, Min Ha, Administrative Director of St. Peter's Hospital, said, "We joined in building this framework of cooperation with the National Medical Center in order to improve the preventable death rate," adding, "We will continue to do our utmost to provide a prompt, systematic treatment environment for trauma and emergency patients and to keep strengthening the regional medical safety net."

Yoon Seok-hwa, Director of the Seoul Regional Trauma Center at the National Medical Center, said, "Building a network with St. Peter's Hospital, a major medical institution in the Gangnam area, will be of meaningful help in improving survival rates and ensuring the safety of trauma patients in the region," adding, "We will maintain close exchange in order to create an exemplary case of cooperation in building a prompt and appropriate trauma care system for the community."