Severance Hospital Starts Construction of VIP Medical Center in Yíxīng Shì, China Severance Hospital has recently begun exporting its expertise to China and Vietnam. Yonsei University Health System (YUHS) held a groundbreaking ceremony on October 18th for the Yíxīng Severance VIP Medical Center. The ceremony was attended by Yíxīng Shì officials, representatives of the Chinese construction company in charge of building the center and Korean IT company Nepes. YUHS signed the contract for the establishment of the center with the Yíxīng Shì government in February. It will receive 5 million dollars in commission for advice on management, lending brand name and dispatching staff for 5 years. With the knowledge and expertise YUHS offers through its operations of Severance Hospital and Gangnam Severance Hospital, YUHS will help the new center in the stages of construction and in management once it is completed. The construction work will be funded by the Chinese construction company involved in the project and Nepes. Lee Chul, President and CEO of Yonsei University Health System, said that, “When completed in 2014, Yíxīng Severance Medical Center will be the first of such a case of medical system export. It will demonstrate the superiority of the Korean medical industry. As one of Korea’s most reputable medical institutions, Severance will work for national interest and enhance Korea’s medical brand name in the future.” With the new medical center, Yíxīng Shì plans to widen its market to VIP customers in nearby regions. The Chinese construction company is also pursuing a chain-business from this project building complexes for senior citizens. YUHS expects that its medical consulting will be in high demand as development continues. Meanwhile, Severance signed an MOU with the Vietnamese government to participate in a 650 million dollar national medical data center project due for completion in 2013.