2023.07.04

National Tsing Hua University (NTHU) in Taiwan signed a BOT hospital contract with privately owned Kaohsiung Medical University (KMU) on July 4th, 2023, with NTHU President W. John Kao (高為元) and KMU Director Yi-chen Wang (王伊忱) signing the contract in the ceremony. KMU will invest more than NT$10 billion to build a large-scale smart hospital in the Taoyuan Aerotropolis. Construction on the first phase of the project, which will have a total of 515 beds, is expected to begin in 2024 and be completed by 2028.
 
Guests attending and witnessing the BOT contract signing ceremony included Deputy Premier of the Executive Yuan Wen-tsang Cheng (鄭文燦), Minister of Finance Tsui- yun Chuang (莊翠雲), Chief Secretary of the Ministry of Education (MOE) Hsin-kuo Liao (廖興國), Deputy Mayor of Taoyuan City Ming-ju Wang (王明鉅), Legislator Shih-chieh Huang (黃世杰), Director General of the Department for the Promotion of Private Participation of the Ministry of Finance (MOF) Chien-hsien Lee (李建賢), and Director of the Taoyuan City Health Bureau Yi-lien Liu (劉宜亷).
 
The land for the NTHU Taoyuan Medical and Educational R&D Park, which was allocated by the Taoyuan City Government, covers an area of 7.2 hectares. Five hectares have been reserved for the medical park, which initially will contain 329 general beds and 186 special beds, resulting in a total of 515 beds for the first phase. In the future, the number of beds will gradually increase to 910, making it a teaching hospital at the medical center level.
 
The remaining 2.2 hectares have been designated for the educational R&D park. In the first phase, KMU will construct laboratories, classrooms, and dormitories for healthcare and medical students. In the second phase, NTHU will raise funds independently to develop a medical incubation center and a research center.
 
The NTHU Hospital represents an important milestone in medical development
 
Deputy Premier Cheng pointed out that this project was initiated during his tenure as the mayor of Taoyuan City. In 2019, Taoyuan signed a “Letter of Intent for Cooperation on the Taoyuan Medical and Educational Park” with NTHU, earmarking 7.2 hectares of land at the A16 station in the Taoyuan Aerotropolis for a medical park.
 
The Taoyuan Aerotropolis requires an international hospital to address the insufficient healthcare resources in the Qingpu, Luzhu, Dayuan, Guanyin, and Xingwu districts. The NTHU Hospital will also leverage the advantages of the Aerotropolis to develop international healthcare services.
 
Cheng stated that, after four years of hard work, NTHU selected KMU as the best partner for collaboration in the medical field. Through the combination of their respective strengths, he is confident that the two universities can usher in a new era of medicine. He emphasized that, although his role has transitioned from mayor to deputy premier, his support for this project remains unwavering.
 
During her speech, Minister of Finance Chuang confirmed that KMU's investment in the NTHU Hospital exceeds NT$10 billion. She noted that this project is the largest private sector investment in public infrastructure under the jurisdiction of the MOE.
 
Chuang stated that pushing forward with a billion-dollar investment project is not an easy task, and she expressed gratitude to NTHU for not only partnering with the KMU team, but also for successfully promoting this project. Chuang further indicated that the MOF is committed to providing full assistance throughout the fulfillment process.
 
Taoyuan City Deputy Mayor Wang pointed out that the Qingpu area is currently the fastest-growing region in Taoyuan. With a high population of young people, there is a significant demand for maternal and child healthcare services. He expressed hope that these factors will be taken into consideration when planning and designing the hospital.
 
Wang added that the Taoyuan City Government fully supports this project and looks forward to the hospital's integration with the local community after its completion. It is expected that the hospital will benefit the region, making it a crucial medical stronghold in the southwestern part of Taoyuan.
 
NTHU President Kao pointed out that the project is an excellent example of public-private partnership (PPP) collaboration. NTHU and KMU will work together to bring the most advanced technologies such as AI, big data, and gene editing into medical services, benefiting the local population and promoting international healthcare. The NTHU Hospital will also serve as a cutting-edge medical education platform, cultivating future physicians with a sense of mission and imparting diverse perspectives.
 
President Kao expressed his sincere gratitude to the various benefactors who have supported NTHU throughout this journey. In addition to NTHU former President Hong Hocheng (賀陳弘) and Deputy Premier Cheng, who laid the foundation for the NTHU Hospital during his tenure as the mayor of Taoyuan City, President Kao also thanked Minister of Education Wen-chung Pan (潘文忠) and Minister of Finance Chuang for their guidance and support.
 
Special thanks were also extended to Taoyuan City Mayor San-cheng Chang (張善政) for allocating land and resolving numerous challenges during the preparatory stage, such as addressing the issue of bed capacity. Now, with KMU Board Chairman Chien-chih Chen's (陳建志) commitment to collaborate with NTHU for the next 50 years, “the medical dream of NTHU can finally become a reality thanks in no small part to their unwavering support.”
 
KMU President Chun-yuh Yang (楊俊毓) stated that it was a great honor to collaborate with NTHU to advance an important milestone in medical education in Taiwan. He mentioned that since its establishment in 1954, KMU has been dedicated to instilling empathy and compassion in the physicians it trains. Over the years, 46 alumni have received the Medical Devotion Award, making it the educational institution with the highest number of awardees in Taiwan. Upholding the ideal of being “deeply rooted in Taoyuan and operating sustainably,” KMU and its healthcare system plan to establish a medical base that caters to the urgent needs of the people of Taoyuan while also offering specialized medical services.
 
KMU's elite medical team to be stationed in the Taoyuan Aerotropolis
 
KMU noted that the NTHU Hospital will adopt a phased expansion approach with a comprehensive planning and design process. Due to the service area having a large number of young adults with a high birth rate, their primary medical needs will center on cancer treatment, critical care, and integrated care for chronic diseases. The overall healthcare operation framework will include preventive medicine, community healthcare, clinical medicine, and home healthcare, with the aim of providing comprehensive outpatient, emergency, and inpatient services.
 
The NTHU Hospital will incorporate 39 medical sub-specialties, including internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, as well as other medical disciplines. The hospital is committed to promoting the health and well-being of the people of Taoyuan and to becoming the most reliable healthcare institution in the region.
 
Taoyuan serves as the gateway connecting Taiwan to the world. KMU emphasized that its medical center will assign an elite medical team to the NTHU Hospital, in line with the development of the Aerotropolis, to create an internationally renowned medical park. This medical park will provide precision medicine, advanced surgeries, high-end health check-ups, and more. The NTHU Hospital will also introduce the latest medical technologies, develop telemedicine capabilities, and utilize AI and big data research outcomes to build a large-scale smart hospital that can significantly enhance the quality of healthcare.
 
Since it was founded 69 years ago as the first private medical university in Taiwan, KMU has always adhered to the core principle of “wherever the need exists, KMU will be there.” In response to the times and its own development, KMU has undertaken new missions and responsibilities. On the basis of its strong partnership with NTHU, KMU is confident that the integration of expertise from both institutions will create a globally recognized hospital brand. This collaboration will expand the international healthcare market and usher in a new era of borderless medical care.
 
NTHU and KMU are joining forces for medical research collaboration
 
Ping-chiang Lyu (呂平江), vice president of NTHU and the convener of the BOT project, stated that with the MOE and MOF's guidance and support, and in accordance with the Act for Promotion of Private Participation in Infrastructure Projects as well as other relevant regulations, KMU was selected as NTHU's partner through rigorous evaluation by internal and external professional committees. The NTHU Hospital will be built and operated by KMU, and after a period of 50 years, its operation and ownership will be transferred to NTHU.
 
Lyu explained that KMU has the oldest post-baccalaureate medical program in Taiwan. With its extensive pedagogical experience, KMU is considered a leader in post-baccalaureate medical education. This aligns with the goal of training medical students at NTHU. Since last year, both universities have initiated the “KMU & NTHU Project,” where several professors from NTHU in the fields of biomedical sciences, materials, and chemical engineering have collaborated with professors from KMU's medical departments as well as frontline clinical physicians to conduct collaborative research.
 
Lyu indicated that KMU has extensive experience in hospital management, including the KMU Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital, the operation of Siaogang Hospital, Ta-Tung Hospital, and Cijin Hospital commissioned by the Kaohsiung City Government, and the recently built Gangshan Hospital.
 
He believes that the synergy of NTHU's research capability and KMU's clinical experience will lead to a long-term collaborative model that will successfully cultivate biomedical talent for the two universities.
 
The NTHU Hospital will be situated in the Taoyuan Aerotropolis, adjacent to the A16 Hengshan Station of the Taoyuan Airport MRT. It is also expected to intersect with the future Green Line of the MRT. The hospital is only two stops away from the Taoyuan High-Speed Rail Station, providing convenient transportation access.
 
Vice President Lyu stated that the establishment of the NTHU Taoyuan Medical and Educational Park will not only serve the current local population; it will also become the primary medical center for the Taoyuan Aerotropolis' future projected residential population of 180,000 and employment population of 300,000. Its aim is to provide convenient, high-quality medical services while promoting local employment opportunities.