Appointed Director of Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital in December Last Year
Filling Medical Gaps at Armed Forces Hospital
The recent status of Lee Guk-jong, director of the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital, has become a hot topic amid the fact that 93% of residents have left their workplaces in protest against the government's expansion of medical school quotas.
Recently, due to the prolonged strike of residents, patients who cannot use university hospitals are turning to military hospitals. Earlier, based on a government-wide countermeasure against collective actions in the medical community, the Ministry of National Defense opened emergency rooms in 12 military hospitals starting from the 20th of last month. As of the 5th, 139 civilian emergency patients have received treatment at military hospitals.
The Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital, where Director Lee Guk-jong is stationed, treated 28 civilians. This is the second largest number following the Armed Forces Capital Hospital (68 patients). In the Daejeon area, a total of 420 residents, including 168 from Chungnam National University Hospital, have submitted resignation letters and left their workplaces, raising concerns about medical service gaps.
An official from the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital, who performed surgery on a patient who could not receive emergency surgery elsewhere, explained, "The purpose of the military is to protect the lives and safety of the people, and treating emergency patients is a natural duty as medical personnel," adding, "We are focusing solely on patient care according to Director (Lee Guk-jong)'s instructions."
It is known that Director Lee instructed not to discuss related matters externally, as patient care is a natural duty of medical staff.
On the 5th, Minister of National Defense Shin Won-sik encouraged Director Lee, saying, "During the national medical crisis, the emergency treatment at military hospitals has increased public trust in military medical personnel," and urged, "Since it is the military's fundamental mission to dedicate and serve when the people need help, please do your utmost for the citizens in difficulty with the mindset of saving precious comrades on the battlefield."
Director Lee responded, "The military is the place where essential medical services such as emergency evacuation and trauma treatment are most needed," and added, "I will work with the Ministry of National Defense and the Armed Forces Medical Command to develop the military medical system."
Director Lee, an authority in the field of severe trauma, was appointed director of the Armed Forces Daejeon Hospital in December last year. He is the medical professional who saved Captain Seok Hae-gyun of the Samho Jewelry ship, who was shot during the 2011 Aden Dawn operation, and a North Korean soldier who was shot while defecting by crossing the Joint Security Area (JSA) in 2017.
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