Grade 1 in both tuberculosis and COPD... Jeju National University Hospital scores above national averages

【Financial News, Jeju = Reporter Jeong Yong-bok】 Jeju National University Hospital received the top grade, Grade 1, in both the appropriateness assessments for tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care.
According to Jeju National University Hospital on the 4th, it scored 96.6 points overall in the 2025 eighth-round tuberculosis appropriateness assessment conducted by HIRA. This was 0.9 points higher than the 95.7-point average for medical institutions nationwide and 1.3 points higher than the 95.3-point average for general hospitals of the same type.
The tuberculosis appropriateness assessment covered medical institutions that treated newly diagnosed TB patients reported to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency from January to June 2025. It evaluates confirmation of tuberculosis bacteria, drug-resistance testing, and continuity of prescriptions for treatment drugs.
In the detailed assessment, Jeju National University Hospital recorded a 94.1% rate for tuberculosis bacteria confirmation tests, 100% for conventional drug-susceptibility tests, 100% for rapid drug-susceptibility tests, and 96.1% for the rate of days covered by medication prescriptions.
Drug-susceptibility testing checks whether tuberculosis bacteria are resistant to treatment drugs. Conventional and rapid drug-susceptibility tests differ in their methods and the time required to obtain results, and are used to select treatment drugs suited to each patient.
The medication-prescription days rate measures how continuously medication was prescribed over the period needed to treat tuberculosis. Because TB requires taking multiple drugs for a set period, ongoing treatment management is important alongside an accurate diagnosis.
The hospital also received Grade 1 in the COPD assessment. In the 2025 11th-round assessment, Jeju National University Hospital scored 82.3 points overall, 10.4 points above the 71.9-point average for medical institutions nationwide. That was 0.3 points higher than the 82.0-point average for general hospitals of the same type.
The assessment covered patients aged 40 or older who received care for COPD from January to December 2025 and met certain criteria for outpatient care and medication treatment.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a respiratory disease in which narrowed airways cause symptoms such as shortness of breath, chronic coughing, and sputum. Smoking and other factors are considered major risk factors. Ongoing management is important to monitor the degree of declining lung function and prevent symptoms from worsening.
HIRA evaluates measures including the rate of pulmonary function testing, the proportion of patients who attend follow-up visits regularly, and the proportion of patients prescribed inhaled bronchodilators. Inhaled bronchodilators help people breathe by widening narrowed airways.
The COPD appropriateness assessment awards Grade 1 to medical institutions with an overall score of 80 points or higher. The grades reflect an evaluation of the care process for the disease, including testing, prescriptions, and continuity of care.
The importance of early detection and continued treatment is also evident in TB management in Jeju. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s 2025 report on notified TB cases, Jeju’s rate of new TB cases was 25.5 per 100,000 people, below the national average of 26.9. The total number of TB patients nationwide was 17,070, down 4.9% from the previous year, while 10,669 patients were aged 65 or older, accounting for 62.5% of the total.
With TB management among older adults remaining a major public health challenge, the importance of accurate diagnosis, checking for drug resistance, and ensuring continuity of treatment is growing.
Jeju National University Hospital is also currently undergoing an assessment for designation as a tertiary general hospital for the sixth cycle, covering 2027–2029. Jeju does not yet have a tertiary general hospital, and the results of the designation reviews for Jeju National University Hospital and Cheju Halla General Hospital are expected to be announced at the end of December.
Won Young Jang, president of Jeju National University Hospital, said, “For tuberculosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, accurate early diagnosis, the right choice of medication, and ongoing, systematic treatment and care are important,” adding, “We will expand healthcare infrastructure so patients can receive treatment safely.”


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter