"Face-to-Face Care for Pediatric Confirmed Cases Available from Today at 26 Designated Hospitals"

26 Designated Dedicated Hospitals
Total of 1,442 Pediatric Confirmed Patient Beds

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] As the number of new COVID-19 cases surges and the number of pediatric cases increases, the government has newly designated 26 specialized base hospitals for the treatment of pediatric COVID-19 patients.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 2nd that they have designated COVID-19 pediatric specialized base hospitals for face-to-face diagnosis and inpatient treatment of pediatric confirmed cases.

The headquarters, in cooperation with the Korean Pediatric Hospital Association, designated specialized hospitals centered on pediatric hospitals operating respiratory clinics. The total number of pediatric beds at the 26 COVID-19 pediatric specialized base hospitals is 1,442.

By region, among the 26 specialized hospitals, 9 (592 beds) are located in the metropolitan area, 7 (335 beds) in the Honam region, and 6 (303 beds) in the Gyeongnam region. Additionally, there are 3 hospitals (152 beds) in the Chungcheong region and 1 hospital (60 beds) in the Gyeongbuk region. No hospitals have yet been designated in Gangwon and Jeju.

Park Hyang, head of the quarantine task force at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said, "Face-to-face treatment for pediatric COVID-19 patients at each base hospital is possible starting today, but there may be slight differences depending on the hospital's circumstances," adding, "The actual available dates for treatment and the status of medical institutions will be shared with each public health center, information centers, and bed allocation teams to avoid confusion."

The headquarters will share the list of base hospitals with each city and province, public health centers, and bed allocation teams, and will disclose it separately upon request from each hospital. They also plan to designate additional hospitals in local governments where pediatric specialized base hospitals are insufficient, considering accessibility. Furthermore, the government added that patients with developmental disabilities can also receive face-to-face treatment at regional outpatient clinics upon confirmation.

Meanwhile, the government has requested cooperation from medical sites regarding emergency deliveries for pregnant women confirmed with COVID-19. Son Young-rae, head of the social strategy team at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, said, "In this crisis situation where new confirmed cases exceed 200,000, any pregnant woman about to give birth can be confirmed positive," and requested frontline cooperation regarding situations where confirmed pregnant women must deliver even if the hospital they usually attend does not have negative pressure rooms.

Son emphasized, "The government plans to support measures for post-delivery care and newborn management, as well as active compensation plans in cases where confirmed COVID-19 patients deliver at general hospitals without negative pressure rooms," and urged, "Medical staff involved in deliveries should actively cooperate to ensure there are no gaps in emergency delivery situations according to the medical institution's business continuity plan guidelines."