Five hospitals picked for infants

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has added five hospitals to the list of those that must be equipped with intensive care units for newborns.

The selected hospitals are Bundang Seoul National University Hospital in Gyeonggi Province, Inha University Hospital in Incheon, Dankook University Hospital in Daejeon, Chosun University Hospital in Gwangju and Ulsan University Hospital in Ulsan.

With the latest designation there are now 18 general hospitals that have or will have special units for infants with disorders, the ministry said. The newly designated institutions will be given 1.5 billion won ($1.34 million) each to establish the wards, and will receive 140 million won annually for operational costs. There, premature babies weighing less than 2.5 kilograms or those with prenatal diseases will be given intensive care.

“With more women giving birth to babies when they are older, more babies are born prematurely and the demand for the facilities has been growing. The designation will allow more access to those infants,” a ministry official said.