Medical Disaster Crisis 'Severe'... Which Seoul District Mayors Took Swift Action?

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyung Lee Visits Kyung Hee University Hospital and Samyook University Hospital on the Afternoon of the 23rd to Encourage Medical Staff... Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Hokwon Choi Chairs Emergency Disaster Safety Measures Meeting and Orders Medical Situation Assessment

As the health and medical disaster alert was raised to the ‘Severe’ level, not only the government but also the autonomous districts of Seoul are responding swiftly by urgently convening disaster safety countermeasure headquarters.

In particular, as difficulties for patients at medical sites increase, officials are visiting hospitals to encourage medical staff, earning applause.

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyeong Lee visits Kyung Hee University Hospital and Samyook Seoul Hospital on the 23rd to check medical status and encourage medical personnel... “We will continuously monitor whether medical institutions can operate normally to minimize inconvenience”

Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Lee Pil-hyung is visiting Kyung Hee University Hospital on the 23rd to encourage the medical staff for their hard work.

On the 23rd, Dongdaemun-gu Mayor Ilhyeong Lee visited Kyung Hee University Hospital and Samyook Seoul Hospital following the escalation of the health and medical disaster alert from ‘Caution’ to ‘Severe’ due to collective actions by medical residents. He directly inspected the medical and emergency care systems and encouraged frontline medical staff facing difficulties amid medical service gaps.

Mayor Lee said, “In a situation where medical service gaps have occurred due to the collective withdrawal of medical residents, it is expected that essential medical personnel in emergency rooms and operating rooms are facing significant challenges. I would like to express deep gratitude on behalf of the residents to the medical staff who steadfastly remain on site despite these difficulties.”

He also stated, “To minimize medical service gaps, we will continuously check whether medical institutions in the district can operate normally to protect residents’ health and minimize inconvenience.”

Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Hogwon Choi presides over the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters meeting related to doctors’ collective actions

Choi Ho-gwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District Office, is presiding over an emergency countermeasure meeting of the Disaster Safety Countermeasures Headquarters.

On the afternoon of the 23rd, Yeongdeungpo-gu Mayor Hogwon Choi presided over an emergency meeting of the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters following the escalation of the health and medical disaster alert to the ‘Severe’ level.

The district’s Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters is composed and operated with the mayor as the head and six working teams.

Regarding the medical community’s collective actions, the district plans to implement ▲strengthened operation of the emergency response situation room ▲continuous monitoring of medical institutions’ trends and operational status ▲establishment of an emergency contact system ▲development of action manuals and response plans for emergency situations.

Mayor Choi urged, “This is a matter directly related to the lives and safety of residents, so we must prepare thorough response plans to cope with the prolonged medical service gaps. Please establish close cooperation systems with related medical institutions and actively promote medical situations and countermeasures to minimize residents’ inconvenience.”

Seongbuk-gu proactively upgrades to Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters... Seongbuk-gu Mayor Seungro Lee expands and reorganizes the headquarters

Establishment and operation of emergency medical countermeasure situation room, maintenance of 24-hour emergency contact system... Extension of public health center operating hours (until 8 PM on weekdays) following ‘Severe’ alert escalation

All-out effort to maintain emergency medical system and minimize medical service gaps

Following the government’s escalation of the health and medical disaster alert to the ‘Severe’ level due to doctors’ collective actions, Seoul’s Seongbuk-gu (Mayor Seungro Lee, hereinafter ‘the district’) upgraded its existing Seongbuk-gu Emergency Health and Medical Countermeasure Headquarters to the Seongbuk-gu Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters led by the mayor starting from the 23rd.

As of the 23rd, with the Ministry of Health and Welfare issuing a ‘Severe’ alert for the health and medical disaster, the district expanded and reorganized the Emergency Health and Medical Countermeasure Headquarters, previously headed by the deputy mayor, into the Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters led by the mayor. The district also raised its response level by establishing and operating an emergency medical countermeasure situation room and organizing response personnel to prepare for the medical community’s collective actions.

Following the launch of the Seongbuk-gu Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, the district held a meeting on the 23rd at 4 PM, chaired by the mayor, with Seongbuk Public Health Center and district executives to review the emergency medical response system.

The Seongbuk-gu Disaster Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, expanded with the mayor as the head, will operate from the 23rd until the situation ends. It consists of 13 working teams, including disaster situation management, medical and quarantine services, and disaster recovery publicity teams. Its main roles include maintaining cooperation with the government, monitoring trends and doctors’ collective actions, external communication, and publicity.

The emergency medical countermeasure situation room was proactively established on the 6th. It operates within the Medical Affairs Division of Seongbuk Public Health Center to prepare for and respond to the medical community’s collective actions. It will also operate until the situation ends.

The public health center’s operating hours have been extended to 8 PM on weekdays to ensure the maintenance of the emergency medical system and minimize medical service gaps. Depending on the situation, close cooperation with fire, police, and related agencies will continue through related meetings.

Seongbuk-gu Mayor Seungro Lee announced the upgrade of the emergency health and medical countermeasure headquarters to the disaster safety countermeasure headquarters and said, “It is expected that university hospitals located in Seongbuk-gu will experience disruptions in medical services such as reduced operation of operating rooms and emergency rooms. I urge all public officials in Seongbuk-gu to do their utmost to maintain the emergency medical system and minimize medical service gaps.”

Information on open medical institutions can be checked through the Emergency Medical Information Center’s E-GEN website. Telephone guidance is available through the Dasan Call Center, Health and Welfare Call Center, 119 Emergency Situation Management Center (Fire Agency), National Health Insurance Service, and Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service call centers.

Gangseo-gu operates Emergency Health and Medical Countermeasure Headquarters to minimize medical service gaps... Full-scale response following the escalation of the health and medical disaster alert to the ‘Severe’ level

Extension of public health center operating hours and strict response to collective medical leave... Strengthened publicity to minimize residents’ inconvenience due to medical service gaps

Seoul’s Gangseo-gu (Mayor Gyohun Jin) announced that it has entered an emergency response system to reduce medical service gaps by operating an Emergency Health and Medical Countermeasure Headquarters in preparation for collective actions by the medical community.

With the intensification of medical residents’ collective withdrawal from medical sites and the medical association’s announcement of a nationwide doctors’ rally, concerns about damage to the public’s health and lives are increasing.

Accordingly, the district has fully activated the Emergency Health and Medical Countermeasure Headquarters to alleviate residents’ anxiety.

The Emergency Health and Medical Countermeasure Headquarters, led by the deputy mayor, is composed of ▲General Countermeasure Team ▲Emergency Medical Countermeasure Team ▲External Cooperation Team ▲Public Relations Team to respond swiftly according to the situation.

Also, as the health and medical disaster alert was raised to the highest ‘Severe’ level, the district extended the operating hours of the primary care rooms at public health centers until 8 PM.

The district plans to install an emergency health and medical countermeasure situation room at the public health center to receive inconvenience reports, monitor crisis situations, and promote open medical institutions.

In the event of collective actions by medical institutions, the district plans to respond actively.

In case of collective actions by private practitioners, the district will issue treatment orders under the mayor’s name urging continuation of medical services, and if collective leave is forcibly carried out, it will issue work commencement orders.

Mayor Gyohun Jin said, “We will mobilize all available resources to fill medical service gaps and respond strictly to illegal actions. We will maintain close cooperation among departments and thoroughly monitor medical institutions to minimize residents’ inconvenience until the emergency situation caused by the medical community’s collective actions ends.”