Two Military Medical Officers Dispatched to Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital Emergency Room Return After Two Days

Military Medical Officers Dispatched but Field Operations Face Repeated Disruptions

The government's alternative measure to prevent the 'emergency room crisis,' dispatching military doctors, is facing setbacks. Two military doctors dispatched to Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital went to work on the morning of the 6th but returned immediately. It was only two days since they were dispatched to the hospital on the 4th.

On the 6th, paramedics are transporting a patient at an emergency treatment center in a hospital in downtown Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Two military doctors specializing in emergency medicine were dispatched to Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital according to the government's policy to support emergency room medical care. However, during consultations with the hospital, they stated that "it is difficult to treat patients, and they can only handle tasks involving obtaining consent forms." The hospital judged that they were not suitable for emergency room duties and requested a replacement of the military doctors in Sejong on the 5th, one day prior.

The Adult Emergency Medical Center at Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital originally had a total of 15 staff, including 3 professors and 12 contract specialists. Recently, one professor and three specialists resigned, and as of September 1, four additional specialists resigned, leaving seven remaining. Due to the decrease in medical staff, the hospital's adult emergency room has suspended night-time treatment since September.

Previously, the Ministry of Health and Welfare assigned 15 military doctors to five medical institutions under intensive management that urgently need medical personnel. By institution, there were 3 at Ajou University Hospital, 3 at Ewha Mokdong Hospital, 2 at Chungbuk National University Hospital, 2 at Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital, and 5 at Kangwon National University Hospital.

Among them, at Ewha Mokdong Hospital, as of the 5th, three military doctors reported to work, but after interviews, the hospital judged that they were not suitable for emergency room duties and notified them to return.

Kangwon National University Hospital was assigned five military doctors, but as of the 6th, the hospital is still coordinating detailed matters such as the scope of work, so there are no military doctors currently working in the emergency room. Chungbuk National University Hospital assigned two military doctors specializing in emergency medicine, who completed preliminary training, to the intensive care unit instead of the emergency room.

Meanwhile, as cases of dispatched military doctors returning continue, raising questions about the effectiveness of the measure to normalize emergency medical care, the government emphasized on the 6th that "(the dispatch of military doctors) will definitely be helpful in areas lacking medical personnel."