Unable to Find Hospital, Transferred from Daejeon to Sejong
School Says "Handled According to Manual"
An elementary school student who collapsed complaining of a headache at school was diagnosed with a cerebral hemorrhage and died two weeks later. The bereaved family expressed outrage, saying that not only was there no hospital accepting pediatric emergency patients, but also that precious time was wasted due to the school's inadequate initial response.
According to the Daejeon Fire Department on the 21st, a report was received around 11 a.m. on the 30th of last month that a 6th-grade student, A, collapsed showing symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage at an elementary school in Jung-gu, Daejeon.
CCTV footage showing 6th-grade student A sitting down on the floor in an elevator at an elementary school in Jung-gu, Daejeon, around 11 a.m. on the 30th of last month. [Photo by KBS]
According to CCTV footage inside the school elevator released by KBS, A staggered and then sat down on the floor. A was reportedly on her way back to the classroom after visiting the infirmary, complaining of a headache.
A is seen repeatedly sitting down and standing up, then lying on the floor holding her head in pain in the video. The CCTV footage was recorded around 10:40 a.m. on the day of the incident. KBS reported that a teacher only came out after hearing A’s screams, which had been left alone for more than three minutes, and opened the door.
The bereaved family claims that when A’s mother was contacted by the school and arrived there, A was already losing consciousness. A’s parents assert that A was already struggling to maintain her balance in the hallway, and the screams inside the elevator were so urgent that they could be heard outside, yet the school did not even call 119 (emergency services).
Subsequently, A was taken by ambulance 50 minutes after complaining of a headache to a teacher and was diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage after being transported to the hospital.
The school stated, "She was conscious enough to respond until her parents arrived," and claimed they "acted according to the emergency treatment manual."
Unable to Find Hospital, Took 1 Hour to Transfer from Daejeon to Sejong
Even after the 119 rescue team arrived, Ms. A had to waste an hour. This was because there was no hospital in Daejeon that could accommodate her, so she was transported to Sejong. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. Photo by Kim Hyun-min, Asia Economy
Even after the 119 rescue team arrived, A’s transfer was delayed by an hour because there was no hospital in Daejeon that could accommodate her, so she was transported to Sejong.
The 119 ambulance team, which immediately dispatched after receiving the report, inquired at hospitals within Daejeon whether they could accept A, but all hospitals responded that they could not admit her.
Later, it was confirmed that Chungbuk National University Hospital and Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital could accept her, and the 119 rescue team transported A to Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital. However, about an hour had already passed since dispatch when they arrived at the hospital. Approximately two hours were lost between the school and on the road.
A underwent surgery for cerebral hemorrhage and received inpatient treatment but ultimately passed away two weeks later.
A fire official explained, "To avoid further delay in transfer, we did not move immediately but searched for a hospital that could accept her on site," adding, "At that time, there was no hospital capable of pediatric neurology and cerebral hemorrhage surgery, so we had no choice but to transfer her to another region."
Meanwhile, the bereaved family plans to request an investigation into school officials, accusing the school of wasting time due to complacent response.
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