Daejeon City Halts Medical Vacuum from 'Collective Strike' and Issues Treatment Orders

[Asia Economy (Daejeon) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] On the 14th, Daejeon City issued administrative measures such as 'treatment orders' to 1,093 local clinic-level medical institutions, fearing a medical vacuum due to the announced collective strike by medical staff. In addition, the city requested 60 hospital-level or higher medical institutions to expand weekday treatment and provide treatment on weekends and public holidays.

According to the city on the 10th, recently, the city took three administrative measures with autonomous districts: treatment orders on the scheduled collective strike day, strike notification orders, and work commencement orders if the collective strike is confirmed. The city also requested each district to establish emergency treatment measures to maintain an emergency treatment system.

The treatment order on the scheduled collective strike day is an administrative order issued under the mayor’s name urging local medical staff to provide treatment on the strike day (the 14th).

Additionally, the strike notification order is an administrative measure requiring medical institutions to notify the relevant public health center at least four days in advance if they must close on the collective strike day due to unavoidable reasons.

Separately, the city plans to establish emergency treatment countermeasure situation rooms at the city and each district public health center on the scheduled collective strike day, operate them 24 hours, provide guidance to medical institutions open on the day, and activate an emergency treatment system to prepare for acute and chronic diseases and emergency patients.

Moon In-hwan, head of the Infectious Disease Management Division of the city, said, “Even on the day of the collective strike, we will maintain an emergency treatment system so that 10 emergency medical institutions, emergency medical facilities, and general hospital emergency rooms can provide 24-hour emergency patient treatment to minimize medical gaps. We will also do our best to inform citizens about medical institutions that are not participating in the strike so that treatment gaps in the region can be minimized.”