To address the shortage of emergency beds, new measures are being explored in South Korea, which prioritizes the allocation of beds to severe patients by transferring mild cases to other facilities. The South Korean government and ruling party reached a decision on Wednesday to establish regional emergency situation rooms to facilitate the transfer of severe patients, and it will become mandatory to ensure that mild patients are relocated in cases where there is a shortage of beds for those in critical condition. In addition, measures will be developed to restrict the treatment of mild patients at regional emergency medical centers and provide supplementary allowances for off-duty surgeons who oversee their care.

The government and ruling party announced these measures during a policy coordination meeting at the National Assembly, which was organized to revamp the country’s emergency medical service.

“We discussed ways to address the shortage of surgical doctors and ICU beds, as well as the overcrowding of emergency rooms caused by about 70 percent of patients with mild symptoms. Additionally, we emphasized the need to strengthen the information sharing system between paramedics and medical institutions, as these factors contribute to the challenges faced in the current emergency medical service,” said Park Dae-chul, chief policymaker of the ruling People Power Party.

The government and ruling party agreed to establish a comprehensive patient transportation system, which aims to facilitate the smooth and secure transfer of emergency patients, ensuring they receive timely treatment. Furthermore, a mechanism will be put in place to monitor the availability of vacant beds and doctors from the initial stages of patient transfers. The government and ruling party also decided to establish regional emergency situation rooms which will function as control centers that oversee patient transfers and manage hospital capacities based on the severity of patients’ conditions and available resources. Hospitals will be required to accommodate patients when transferred through these emergency situation rooms.

Of particular importance, the government and ruling party agreed to prioritize bed assignments for emergency patients when there is a shortage of beds in hospitals. Under this measure, patients’ severity of illness will be assessed prior to treatment, and those with mild symptoms will generally be transferred to local emergency medical institutions or lower-level medical facilities, limiting their treatment at regional emergency medical centers.

To address the scarcity of medical personnel in the emergency room, the government and ruling party devised strategies to enhance the working environment for medical staff. In the short term, special service allowances will be introduced. For instance, if an off-duty surgeon performs an operation, they will be eligible for additional allowances provided through the Emergency Medical Fund. Furthermore, doctors working as a group of four in severe and emergency medical service centers will also receive special service allowances.

“Emergency medical care is an indispensable healthcare service that demands substantial investment. Therefore, our party will continue to identify and support areas in need of action by revising the Emergency Medical Service Act and expanding the budget allocated to the Emergency Medical Fund,” emphasized Park.

These measures in emergency care come after a recent string of accidents involving emergency patients who tragically lost their lives while traveling to and from hospitals in search of available emergency rooms. In March of this year, a high school student in Daegu met such a fate, and last month, a trauma patient in his 70s also succumbed while seeking an emergency room.

By Shim Hee-jin, Shin yoo geoung, and Yoon Yeon-hae

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]