Sent Military Doctor to ER but... "Not Suitable," Ewha Mokdong Hospital Sent Back

The government dispatched military doctors to medical sites experiencing staff shortages, but confusion continues. Ewha Mokdong Hospital sent the dispatched military doctors back.

On the 5th, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that it began dispatching 250 military doctors to medical sites such as emergency rooms starting the previous day. Among them, there are a total of 8 emergency medicine specialists. The ministry assigned 15 military doctors to five medical institutions under intensive management due to urgent medical personnel needs. The targeted medical institutions are Ajou University Hospital with 3 doctors, Ewha Mokdong Hospital with 3 doctors, Chungbuk National University Hospital with 2 doctors, Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital with 2 doctors, and Kangwon National University Hospital with 5 doctors.

However, after interviewing the three military doctors at Ewha Mokdong Hospital, it was judged that they were not suitable for emergency room work, and a return order was issued. Baek Dong-taek, Director of the Health Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "We heard there were issues during discussions about what tasks the three military doctors assigned to Ewha Mokdong Hospital should perform on site," adding, "It is taking time and causing difficulties in the process of consulting between the dispatched military doctors and the hospital about what services are needed."

Jung Yoon-soon, Director of Health Care Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, said, "There have been unfortunate cases reported where adjustments regarding the scope of duties of dispatched military doctors have not been smoothly made at some hospitals," and added, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of National Defense, and hospitals will discuss together to minimize these issues."

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, out of a total of 409 emergency rooms, 405 operate 24 hours a day. Twenty-seven places have reduced beds, accounting for about 6.6% of the total. The standard number of beds for emergency medical institutions is 5,925, which corresponds to 97.3% compared to 6,069 beds in the first week of February before the medical-government conflict began. As of the 4th of this month, among 180 regional and local emergency medical centers capable of treating 27 types of severe emergency diseases, 102 are operational.