First Nuclear Power Plant Earthquake Drill Since 'Corona'... Uljin County Medical Center Activates 'Radiation Emergency Treatment'

Uljin County Medical Center is conducting a radiation emergency medical training.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Gwiyeol] An emergency medical drill to prepare for radiation exposure was conducted in Uljin-gun, Gyeongbuk, where a nuclear power plant is located.

Uljin-gun Medical Center announced on the 26th that it conducted a radiation emergency medical drill over two days from the 18th to 19th to strengthen the emergency response capabilities of specialized radiation emergency medical personnel in the event of a radiation emergency situation.

The drill was conducted by the National Radiation Emergency Medical Center of the Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, with participation from Uljin-gun Medical Center, a radiation emergency medical institution in the Hanul area.

The drill assumed that a magnitude 6.5 earthquake on the Richter scale occurred at Hanul Nuclear Power Plant, triggering an emergency alert stage and resulting in radiation exposure and contamination patients.

Through an in-hospital emergency response procedure (tabletop) drill at Uljin-gun Medical Center, a radiation emergency medical institution, response measures were sought, and the installation and operation of an on-site clinic were carried out.

Additionally, emergency medical procedures such as patient triage, decontamination, treatment, and transport were checked according to patient influx, and basic training for new emergency medical personnel was conducted. This was an actual drill conducted at Uljin-gun Medical Center since the COVID-19 pandemic.

A medical center official who participated as a new emergency medical personnel said, “Patients affected by radiation disasters are more unpredictable than general patients, and secondary damage and spread of harm after occurrence are concerns, so repeated practical training for emergency medical personnel is essential.”

Jung Hoseong, director of Uljin-gun Medical Center, said, “We will thoroughly check the rapid patient treatment and decontamination response system in the event of a radiation disaster, and continuously conduct emergency medical drills assuming the worst-case scenario to protect the safety of Uljin residents.”