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 is visiting a regional emergency medical center in Gyeonggi-do on the 4th to inspect the emergency medical site. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the Regional Emergency Medical Center at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital in Gyeonggi Province at around 8:50 p.m. on the 4th, staying for about 1 hour and 20 minutes to encourage the medical staff dedicated to public health and to listen to their opinions on site. This visit was part of an effort 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 directly check the medical situation ahead of the Chuseok holiday and to encourage the medical staff. Accompanying him were Sung Tae-yoon, Chief of Policy at the Presidential Office, Jang Sang-yoon, Senior Secretary for Social Affairs, and Park Min-soo, Vice Minister of Health and Welfare.
On the day, President Yoon first toured the emergency medical center, then met with hospital officials to hear about the difficulties and issues faced at the emergency center. Upon arrival at the hospital, President Yoon wore a mask and, guided by Han Chang-hee, Director of Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, and Choi Se-min, Director of the Regional Emergency Medical Center, moved to the first-floor emergency center to observe the medical scene.
A Presidential Office official explained, "The visit was to encourage the medical staff dedicated to public health and to hear firsthand the vivid voices and diverse opinions from the medical field," adding, "It also aimed to urge the utmost effort to ensure smooth emergency room operations during the Chuseok holiday period."
Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital operates the Northern Gyeonggi Regional Emergency Medical Center and the Regional Trauma Center, providing essential medical services to medically vulnerable areas within the metropolitan area, including Uijeongbu, Yangju, Dongducheon, Pocheon, Yeoncheon, and Cheorwon. The surrounding area has a high elderly population and military bases, resulting in many emergency patients. Although about 60,000 patients visit the emergency center annually, there are only 19 full-time emergency doctors and just 59 beds in the emergency center.
President Yoon particularly encouraged the medical staff working in front of the nursing station, saying, "Thank you for your hard work late into the night," recognizing their dedication to protecting patients' health and lives. He also expressed gratitude, saying, "I am very thankful and relieved that the doctors are working so devotedly."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is visiting the Catholic University Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, a regional emergency medical center in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do, on the 4th, inspecting the emergency medical site. [Image source=Yonhap News]
When President Yoon asked, "Are there more emergency patients on weekends than on weekdays?" the hospital director replied, "Yes," adding, "Considering that about 40% more emergency patients came during last Lunar New Year’s holiday, it seems likely that patient numbers will increase during this Chuseok holiday." He then listened attentively to the difficulties and various opinions shared during a meeting with hospital officials and medical staff.
President Yoon said, "Emergency medical care is the most critical among essential medical services, but it is truly regrettable that the state has not properly paid attention or provided adequate support," adding, "I have always felt sorry for the dedicated medical staff."
"Prioritize Available Resources During Holiday Periods and Allocate Contingency Funds if Necessary"
He further emphasized, "As the holiday period with increased emergency room demand approaches, we will prioritize deploying available resources to ensure that doctors do not suffer burnout and will do our utmost to support them," adding, "If necessary, we will allocate contingency funds to provide support."
President Yoon also promised, "We will strive to establish an appropriate compensation system for essential medical services, which have high workloads and are exposed to medical accident risks, as soon as possible," and urged, "Please openly share what the government can do to help medical professionals in their work."
In response, the hospital director conveyed the difficulties faced on the ground, saying, "The fatigue of professors filling in for vacant residency positions is increasing, causing more disruptions in backup medical care," and added, "It would be good if this opportunity could be used to improve the medical delivery system and create a system where compensation is based on treatment difficulty rather than patient numbers." The director of the emergency medical center stressed the importance of establishing a system that allows the regional emergency medical center to focus on treating severe emergency patients.
The head of nursing said, "There used to be physician assistant (PA) nurses supporting departments like thoracic surgery, but they faced difficulties due to lack of legal protection. Now that the Nursing Act has passed, they can work confidently, which is appreciated," but also noted, "Even with PA nurses, there are difficulties due to a shortage of doctors in areas where prescriptions cannot be made."
President Yoon expressed regret, saying, "Government fee policies and medical systems have not sufficiently reflected the difficulties on the ground," and pointed out that compared to clinics focused on cosmetic treatments or non-reimbursable services, the workload is much higher and the risk of medical accidents is greater, yet compensation is unfair.
"Dramatically Strengthen Support for Essential Medical Personnel"
President Yoon stated, "The government will take full measures, including institutional improvements, to make high-risk and severe essential medical fields popular specialties," and added, "We will significantly strengthen support for essential medical personnel, including those in emergency care, childbirth, pediatrics, and severe cases, so that medical professionals can feel the difference. We will also resolve legal risks and fairness issues in compensation to enable confident medical practice."
He promised, "What could be more important than the lives of the people?" and pledged to create a proper medical environment so that the dedication of medical staff does not go in vain.
This visit to a medical institution is President Yoon’s ninth since the medical reform announcement in February. A Presidential Office official explained, "So far, President Yoon has visited medical institutions in Seoul, Gyeonggi, Chungnam, and Busan to listen to on-site opinions, and based on these, announced medical reform measures last month, including raising fees for essential medical services and investing 10 trillion won in funding."
The official added regarding President Yoon’s late-night visit to the medical site, "It was planned internally well before and is unrelated to visits by ruling and opposition party leaders to medical institutions," and noted, "There were discussions to visit more sites even after last week’s national briefing and press conference."
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