DAEGU — A medical skills testing and training institute that supports national licensing exams for healthcare workers and provides clinical education opened on the 29th at the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Advanced Medical Technology Complex in Daegu's Dong District.
The institute is the country's first comprehensive testing and training facility, built with 82.5 billion won ($59 million) in combined funding from the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Daegu Metropolitan Government, the city said.
The building has two basement levels and seven floors above ground, with a total floor area of 19,723 square meters. The Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation will operate the facility.
The institute is designed as a hands-on facility that replicates an actual hospital environment.
Its training center houses a range of clinical practice rooms that support drills for complex surgeries and emergency crisis response.
A testing center equipped with a large-scale computer-based exam hall and practical skills rooms can host national licensing exams and certification tests administered by academic societies throughout the year.
Until now, clinical practice in medical settings has faced significant constraints because of patient safety concerns, and training gaps between institutions have been wide.
The institute will operate on an open basis, allowing anyone from aspiring medical practitioners nationwide to experienced specialists to repeatedly train on the latest medical techniques regardless of institutional affiliation.
The Daegu city government expects that as medical personnel from across the country come to Daegu for national exams and clinical practice, the city's standing as a "Medi-City" will rise and local businesses will benefit.
"With the completion of a training institute where practitioners can build real-world skills in an environment equipped with advanced medical devices, we expect many medical professionals from Korea and abroad to visit Daegu," Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho said. "We will continue to expand our biohealthcare infrastructure so that Daegu can emerge as a global medical city."
