Here is an important update from Yongsan Garrison in regards to its upcoming end of medical services on October 1st. There will be a town hall on September 9th at the Post Chapel at 1500 to discuss.
The last part of the Yongsan Garrison relocation to Camp Humphreys will not be complete until late next year:
A new hospital under construction at Camp Humphreys, South Korea, is seen on Monday, May 14, 2018.
No building epitomizes the problems that have plagued the expansion of this Army garrison south of Seoul more than its new hospital.
The U.S. military broke ground for the Brian Allgood Army Community Hospital and Ambulatory Care Center in November 2012 on land that had been used for helicopter hangars. But numerous quality control issues and delays filled the years that followed, as the South Korean contractor struggled to meet rigid U.S. standards.
The South Korean-funded construction of the five-story, 68-bed complex is slated to be largely finished and accepted by U.S. authorities by the end of June, nearly three years past the original deadline and $67 million over budget.
Americans will then begin furnishing and equipping the facility, which is due to open for patients on Nov. 15, 2019. [Stars & Stripes]
You can read much more at the link on what caused all the delays. The contractor blames differences in construction codes between the US and South Korea. The article however made no mention of the various corruption scandals involving the Camp Humphreys expansion project.
This photo captures a moment after firefighters put out a fire that broke out at a hospital in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, on Jan. 26, 2018. (Yonhap)
A fire gutted the ground floor of a hospital in southeastern South Korea and sent toxic fumes raging through the six-story building, killing at least 37 people and injuring 131 others in one of the country’s deadliest blazes in a decade.
Nearly 180 people were inside Sejong Hospital in Miryang, some 280 kilometers southeast of Seoul, when the fire broke out around 7:30 a.m. Witnesses said they first saw smoke coming from the hospital’s emergency room or a dressing room for nurses next to it.
The death toll was reported to have climbed to 41, but officials later corrected it, saying some victims were counted twice. Still, the toll could rise further as 18 of the injured are in serious condition, officials said.
The fire completely burned the hospital’s first floor, but didn’t reach the higher levels. But smoke was seen billowing from windows on higher floors, and most of the fatal victims were believed to have died from inhaling toxic gas. The dead included one doctor and two nurses. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but I wonder if we are going to find out later that emergency exits were blocked or locked contributing to the death toll?
