At Osaka University Hospital, we hold to a Principles of "providing high-quality medical treatment and contributing to the development of medicine and medical professionals." Our personnel are so committed to this philosophy that all members of our staff carry a copy in their breast pocket.

How do we define "high-quality medical treatment"? Every year, more than 20,000 people are referred to Osaka University Hospital to receive in-patient medical care. Our patients hail not only from Osaka prefecture and the Hanshin area, but from all over Japan. These individuals are seeking advanced medical care unique to a university hospital as well as state-of-the-art treatment for challenging diseases and conditions. Osaka University Hospital excels at providing advanced medical care in a wide range of specialties, including oncology and cardiovascular medicine as well as organ transplantation and regenerative medicine. We serve as the "last bastion" in the fight against disease. However, "high-quality medical treatment" refers not only to state-of-the-art and advanced care. As medical care can entail invasive procedures, we remain cognizant that our priority is patient safety. In order to provide advanced medical care in the safest manner possible, we have undertaken a variety of initiatives through a team approach as well as through multi-disciplinary collaboration. This methodology has received high praise in Japan, and Osaka University Hospital has thus assumed a leading role in the realm of medical safety. Providing such high-quality medical treatment requires that we adopt the safest medical procedures as we provide advanced medical care. At our hospital, we provide daily medical care with the aim of providing peace of mind and patient satisfaction through the practice of safe, secure, and state-of-the-art medicine.

In addition to our steady provision of "real medical care here and now," Osaka University has taken another important mission: developing medical care of use to the society of the future and training skilled medical professionals who will play an active role many years from now. In 2015, we became the first facility in Japan to be designated Clinical Research Core Hospital under the Medical Care Act. While high-quality clinical research is essential for uncovering evidence that will be useful in future medical care, such research also serves as a driving force for the provision of such care. In 2018, we were designated a Cancer Genome Core Hospital in recognition of our work to personalize cancer treatments. In addition, our Department of Medical Innovation is engaged in the growth of highly advanced medicine, including regenerative therapy, while our Artificial Intelligence Center for Medical Research and Application (AIM) is promoting the AI Hospital Project under the direction of Japan's Cabinet Office. Innovative medical care will surely enrich our society in the future, and hospitals benefitting from artificial intelligence will be able to offer comforting medical care. In order to ensure such a future comes to pass, development of human resources remains an essential task. Osaka University is committed to training a variety of medical professionals, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, radiologists, and others who will be active in the future.

Lastly, I would like to address our hospital redevelopment project. In 1993, Osaka University Hospital relocated from Nakanoshima to what is now Suita city. Time flies, and nearly 30 years have passed since then. In some places, the aging of our facilities and the lack of space have become conspicuous. For this reason, our hospital has undertaken a redevelopment project that is now in progress. The core of this project is the construction of a new building with two basement floors and eight floors above ground. Known as an integrated medical care building, it is located on the north side of the current outpatient building, and a corridor links it to the existing wards. The new integrated medical care building will house the advanced medical functions of the hospital, including outpatient functions, as well as operating rooms, the ICU, the Endoscopy Center, radiology and associated treatment facilities, clinical examination rooms, the Patient Support Center, the Center for Maternal, Fetal and Neonatal Medicine, the Eye Center, and the Department of Medical Innovation. The concept behind this redevelopment project is "Futurability -- Creating the Future Today". Construction is proceeding at a rapid pace with the goal of a Spring 2025 opening. Although we are doing our best to minimize any inconvenience to those visiting our hospital, we would appreciate your understanding during the construction period.