Cheongdo Daenam Hospital 'White-clad Warriors'... "Medical Staff Risked Their Lives" (Comprehensive)

Nurse Oh Seong-hoon Providing Medical Support at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital
5 Months Newlywed and CEO of a Startup with 5 Employees
Rejecting Wife’s Tears and Staff’s Objections
Arrived at Cheongdo on the 29th of Last Month... Medical Support Application Stated
'Please Send Me to the Most Difficult and Fierce Place'

Nurse Oh Seong-hoon (far left in the photo), who is providing medical support at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital, is taking a photo with fellow medical staff.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Dong-hoon] "Cheongdo Daenam Hospital was a place where not even the slightest mistake was tolerated. It was the most intense week of my life."

Cheongdo Daenam Hospital, where 7 deaths occurred due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Nurse Oh Seong-hoon (29), who is providing medical support there, called his fellow medical staff 'warriors in white.' Oh said, "The infectious medical field is literally a battlefield. A single wrong prick of a needle or saliva from a patient entering through a gap in the protective suit can lead to fatal consequences." He added, "Despite such risks, medical staff are dedicating themselves to treatment at the risk of their own lives."

Oh is newlywed for 5 months. He is also the CEO of a startup operating a nurse community. Despite his wife’s tears and staff’s objections, Oh arrived at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital on the 29th of last month. He said, "As confirmed COVID-19 cases surged from the end of February, I couldn’t just stand by. Since I started the business to be 'someone who cares for nurses,' I wanted to jump into the field and help even a little." In his medical support application submitted to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, he wrote, 'Please send me to the most intense and difficult place.'

A painting by Oh Seonghun (@reading_nurse) shared on Instagram. He said he painted it thinking of his fellow medical staff fighting on the frontlines at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital.

Cheongdo Daenam Hospital Was Like a Ruin Upon Arrival
Asked 'Everyday Questions' to Open Patients’ Hearts
Even Patients Who Didn’t Open Up
Responded, "Thank You for Listening to Me"
Most Patients at Daenam Hospital Are Improving

When he arrived a week ago, Cheongdo and Daenam Hospital looked like ruins. Daenam Hospital, where 7 deaths and 119 confirmed cases occurred, was a despairing place tangled with fear and confusion.

In the midst of this, he had to deal with psychiatric patients who had difficulty communicating. He was responsible for checking patients’ vital signs (such as temperature, respiration, pulse) and administering injections and medications. For a while at first, he was overwhelmed by an inexplicable worry when dealing with confirmed patients in the closed ward. Each time, he mustered courage and asked 'everyday questions' like 'What kind of music do you like?' and 'What hobbies do you usually have?' He thought opening patients’ closed hearts would help with treatment.

Nurse Oh Seong-hoon, who took a photo immediately after arriving at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital on the 29th of last month to provide medical support

At first, patients who kept silent gradually opened their hearts. They responded with comments like, "Thank you so much for listening to me," "I really like Na Hoon-a, he was a rival of Nam Jin," and "I often read poems by Han Yong-un." Before being transferred to another hospital, they always left words of thanks. Oh said, "I was sometimes so moved that I felt sorry for having treated patients with fear at first." He added, "A patient in his 70s said, 'Life changes depending on how you make up your mind,' which I think is a phrase worth reflecting on for patients and medical staff suffering from COVID-19, including myself." He continued, "Because the infection occurred in the psychiatric ward, it became an object of fear and hatred. I hope social perceptions will change."

Patients at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital are steadily improving. On the previous day (the 4th), the first case of recovery among confirmed cases related to Cheongdo Daenam Hospital was reported. The 29 patients remaining at Cheongdo Daenam Hospital will soon be transferred to hospitals in other regions with better treatment conditions. Oh said, "Most patients will be transferred within 2 to 3 days, and their conditions are expected to improve significantly. Although they will leave Daenam Hospital and go to other hospitals, I want to safely complete the remaining two weeks of medical support with the strength of those who cheer us on."

Oh is a well-known influencer among nurses under the name 'Reading Nurse (@reading_nurse).' On Instagram, he posts writings and drawings that soothe nurses’ wounds, followed by 40,000 followers. Oh said, "When COVID-19 first spread, I sent encouragement to medical staff through writings and drawings on SNS (social network services) like Instagram. But as confirmed cases surged, I felt that sending encouragement through writings and drawings was too leisurely, so I applied for medical support." He said that after sharing the recent situation at Daenam Hospital, he received hundreds of comments and messages from people dreaming of becoming nurses or supporting nurses, and "Thanks to their encouragement, I was able to muster strength and work on the medical front."

Operating 'Nurse Note,' a Platform for SharingEducational Materials by HospitalDepartments
"I Want to Be Someone Who Cares for Nurses"
COVID-19 Crisis Clearly Revealed Medical Workforce Shortages
Hopes to Spark Social Discussion

Osung Hoon, CEO of Nurse Note, who has been newlywed for five months, put aside his wife's pleas and tears to rush to the site of Cheongdo Daenam Hospital. He brought wedding photos taken with his wife in Cheongdo and pictures taken with company employees.

The startup 'Nurse Note,' led by Oh, is a platform that allows easy sharing of work content, educational materials, and practical guidelines by hospital departments. Oh, who actually worked as a nurse, created this community service after identifying that the root cause of the 'taeum' problem among nurses lies in workforce shortages and apprenticeship-style education systems. Taeum refers to a disciplinary culture where senior nurses harass and discipline new nurses during training, derived from the phrase 'burning the soul to ashes.'

Oh said that even during the COVID-19 outbreak, the shortage of nursing and medical personnel is clearly evident. He said, "The root of the nurse problem is workforce shortage. When all beds are filled with patients and their conditions worsen, individual nurses become busy and sensitive, and the vicious cycle of 'taeum' repeats." He added, "To solve the repeated problems of insufficient and missing education, I started the startup. Our company’s goal is to create an environment where nurses can provide good care, which ultimately leads to citizens receiving better medical services."

Oh’s direct involvement in the COVID-19 crisis aligns with his company’s vision and motto of being 'a nurse who cares for nurses.' Despite being busy with medical support, he holds video meetings twice a week after work. He reduced his sleep to 4 to 5 hours. He said, "I am grateful and sorry to my wife and staff who trust and support me." He added, "I hope the COVID-19 crisis will lead to more active social discussions about nurses and hospital systems struggling due to workforce shortages."