Joint Use of COVID-19 Beds by Adjacent Regional Zones... "Bed Efficiency"

Government Stores Mobile Negative Pressure Devices for Hope City

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The government has proposed a plan to jointly utilize hospital beds by region to improve the efficiency of COVID-19 bed usage.

On the 1st, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that it has established a 'Regional Bed Joint Utilization System' to efficiently use available bed resources.

So far, the government had secured more than 30,000 beds to respond to the Omicron surge but has been gradually reducing them as confirmed cases decrease. Currently, a total of 6,227 beds are in operation.

According to this measure, seven regions will be set up by adjacent areas, and bed allocation will be carried out through a joint response situation room when necessary. The seven regions are the Capital Area (Seoul, Incheon, Gyeonggi), Chungcheong Area (Daejeon, Sejong, North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong), Honam Area (Gwangju, North Jeolla, South Jeolla), Gyeongbuk Area (Daegu, North Gyeongsang), Gyeongnam Area (Busan, Ulsan, South Gyeongsang), Gangwon Area, and Jeju Area.

Additionally, the quarantine authorities plan to request cooperation from base dedicated hospitals, where beds were previously reduced, to introduce general beds and convert them to dedicated beds in preparation for a resurgence, so that reserve beds can be quickly secured if needed.

As part of the post-Omicron response plan, the government also discussed the utilization and management plan for government-supported COVID-19 medical equipment.

The government will prepare 'Medical Equipment Management Guidelines' within this month to support smooth storage and management of equipment at medical institutions. Also, for 'mobile negative pressure devices' that are difficult for institutions to store on their own, the government plans to centrally store and manage them if institutions wish to return them.

In the event of a resurgence, medical institutions will be prioritized to use the equipment they possess for COVID-19 treatment, and the government will redistribute the equipment it holds to ensure that it is used appropriately where needed.

Park Hyang, head of the Central Accident Response Headquarters' quarantine team, said, "So far, we have supported 28,000 units of about 40 items, including mobile negative pressure devices and ventilators, to 350 hospitals for COVID-19 patient treatment and negative pressure bed operation," adding, "Since this equipment was prepared with great care to protect the lives and safety of the people, we will continue to manage and inspect it carefully."