Yoon Visits Gyeonggi-do Regional Emergency Medical Center... "I Will Listen to Voices from the Field"

Emergency Medical Situation Check Ahead of Chuseok Holiday
9th Hospital Visit Since Medical Reform Announcement
Strengthening Essential Medical Support, Emphasizing Fair Compensation

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited a regional emergency medical center in Gyeonggi Province on the afternoon of the 4th to inspect the emergency medical situation amid growing public anxiety. This marks the ninth time President Yoon has visited a medical site since announcing the medical reform initiative. The visit is interpreted as an effort to check the medical situation ahead of the Chuseok holiday and to encourage healthcare workers.

According to the Blue House, President Yoon visited a regional emergency medical center in Gyeonggi Province from 9 p.m. on the same day to assess the medical situation. Accompanying him were Sung Tae-yoon, Chief of Policy at the Blue House, Jang Sang-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs, and Park Min-soo, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare.

A Blue House official explained, "The visit was to encourage healthcare workers who are dedicated to public health and to hear firsthand voices and various opinions from the medical field," adding, "It also aims to urge the best efforts to ensure smooth emergency room operations during the Chuseok holiday period."

President Yoon first toured the emergency center and then planned to meet with hospital officials to hear about the difficulties faced in the emergency center and issues encountered on-site.

It is reported that President Yoon pointed out that although healthcare workers are working hard in emergency rooms, government fee policies and medical systems do not sufficiently reflect the difficulties of the emergency field.

In particular, President Yoon emphasized that compared to fields focused on cosmetic dermatology or non-reimbursable services, emergency rooms have higher work intensity and risk of accidents. He expressed the position that support for essential medical personnel?including emergency, maternity, pediatrics, and critical care?needs to be strengthened, and issues such as legal risks for healthcare workers and fair compensation must be addressed.

Additionally, President Yoon reportedly stressed on-site that "everyone should enjoy fair medical services without discrimination regardless of where they live."

The emergency medical center visited by President Yoon is responsible for essential medical care in medically vulnerable areas in northern Gyeonggi, including Uijeongbu, Yangju, Pocheon, Yeoncheon, and Cheorwon. The surrounding areas have a high proportion of elderly residents and military bases, resulting in many emergency patients. Although the center sees 60,000 patients annually, there are only 19 full-time emergency physicians and just 59 beds within the emergency center.

President Yoon’s visits to medical institutions have totaled nine since the medical reform announcement in February. A Blue House official explained, "During this time, President Yoon has visited medical institutions in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungnam, and Busan to listen to on-site opinions, which formed the basis for last month’s announcement of medical reform measures, including an increase in essential medical fees and a 10 trillion won investment in healthcare."

The official added, "These visits have been planned internally for some time and are unrelated to visits by ruling and opposition party leaders to medical institutions," further noting, "There were discussions to visit more sites even after last week’s national briefing and press conference."

Amid disruptions in emergency room operations across the country, the government urgently deployed additional personnel, including military doctors, on the 4th.