Gangbuk-gu Introduces Negative Pressure Special Ambulance

Transport of confirmed and suspected infectious disease patients, prevention of secondary infection among medical staff and paramedics... Prolonged COVID-19... A signal for establishing mid- to long-term infectious disease response infrastructure

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangbuk-gu (District Mayor Park Gyeom-su) is promoting the deployment of negative pressure special ambulances to ensure the safe transport of infectious disease confirmed and suspected patients and to prevent the spread within the community.

The ambulance is equipped with a negative pressure system consisting of an air conditioner and an exhaust device, designed to prevent infectious agents from escaping to the outside.

The air conditioner and exhaust device, equipped with a high-efficiency filter, purify the air before releasing it outside the vehicle, while maintaining the interior at a lower pressure than the outside atmosphere to block the external spread of viruses.

In situations where infectious diseases such as COVID-19 occur, negative pressure ambulances play a role in safely transporting patients to medical institutions in complete isolation from the outside. The deployment of negative pressure ambulances is expected to contribute to the safe transport of infectious disease patients and prevent the chain infection spread among medical staff.

Additionally, the ambulance is equipped with emergency treatment and rescue equipment sets, monitoring devices that can track patient status in real time, and patient stretchers with negative pressure covers, enabling rapid response to emergencies involving highly contagious infectious diseases.

The district has already placed an order for negative pressure ambulances through the Public Procurement Service and plans to receive and operate them as early as this month.

Park Gyeom-su, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, stated, “Given the reality that few health centers nationwide have deployed negative pressure ambulances, we are proactively introducing them. In response to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, we will focus on building mid- to long-term medical infrastructure and further strengthen our infectious disease response capabilities.”