TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chi Mei Medical Center broke ground Friday on its fifth hospital in Tainan's Sinshih District.

Chi Mei Medical Center will spend more than NT$30 billion (US$1 billion) to build a seven-story, 13,000-square-meter hospital near the Southern Taiwan Science Park. It is expected to be completed by 2028, per CNA.

The 274-bed hospital will offer 24-hour emergency services, internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, gynecology, rehabilitation, and dentistry. It will also provide emergency treatment for toxic and disaster-related incidents, medical technology research and development, and worker health checkups.

The hospital will collaborate with companies in the science park to drive medical technology innovation through data analysis, AI diagnostics, and telemedicine. The partnership will establish the hospital as a demonstration site for biomedical research and development, aiming to improve the quality of healthcare in Tainan.

The Southern Taiwan Science Park has the second-highest employment numbers among Taiwan's science parks. Chi Mei's medical system, which provides about 90% of the park's healthcare, plans to expand smart healthcare initiatives, integrate resources across its branches, and develop a comprehensive medical referral network.

Innolux Corporation and Chi Mei Medical Center said in February they partnered to launch Taiwan's first smart medication-dispensing robotic arm. The device has passed tests by dispensing more than 1,000 prescriptions, improving dispensing accuracy, reducing drug waste, and enhancing infection control.

Chi Mei Medical Center and Innocare Optoelectronics Corporation also launched a portable X-ray machine in September. With radiation protection measures, medical teams can use the device to conduct chest or limb X-ray examinations in patients’ homes.