Unable to Go to Chosun University Hospital Emergency Room
It Was Found That There Was No Capacity to Accommodate Emergency Patients at the Time
A female college student who collapsed just 100 meters from the emergency room but was transported to another hospital's emergency room five minutes away due to confusion has ultimately died.
According to Yonhap News Agency citing the Gwangju Dongbu Police Station on the 13th, Ms. A (20), who was found in cardiac arrest on the morning of the 5th within the Chosun University campus, was declared dead the day before after a week. It is reported that the female student's family decided to donate her organs.
A notice regarding the shortage of medical staff is posted at an emergency medical center. The Korean Association of Medical School Professors (KAMSP) announced on the 12th that, based on a survey conducted on the 9th and 10th of 53 emergency rooms in training hospitals participating in the association nationwide, the number of emergency room doctors has decreased by 42%, and as a result, seven hospitals are considering partial closures. 2024.9.12 Photo by Yonhap News
Earlier, Ms. A collapsed on a bench in front of a certain college at Chosun University in Dong-gu, Gwangju, on the 5th. It was investigated that she collapsed while attending a gathering after participating in rural volunteer work.
The ambulance crew, who responded to the report, called the emergency room of Chosun University Hospital located about 100 meters away, but when there was no answer, they transported Ms. A to the emergency room of Jeonnam National University Hospital, which was a five-minute drive away.
At that time, two surgical specialists who were on support duty, not emergency medicine specialists, were on duty at the Chosun University emergency room. However, it was understood that they were unable to accommodate emergency patients because they were away attending to emergency surgeries and other patient care.
The remote medical consultation system for on-site emergency treatment was also found not to have been properly operated. Regarding this, the hospital gave inconsistent explanations without properly verifying the facts, causing confusion.
The police found no criminal connection to Ms. A's death and plan to decide whether to close the investigation after analyzing and reviewing medical records and other materials.
On the afternoon of the 2nd, a man in his 70s, Mr. A, was seen falling while going down the outdoor stairs at an apartment in Sejong. [Photo by MBC]
Meanwhile, it was reported belatedly that a man in his 70s who collapsed from a cerebral hemorrhage in Sejong underwent surgery only after 18 hours due to the suspension of nighttime emergency room operations at a nearby large hospital, resulting in a comatose state. According to health authorities on the 13th, Mr. B, a man in his 70s, fell while descending outdoor stairs of an apartment in Sejong around 6:30 p.m. on the 2nd and hit his head hard on the ground.
However, despite symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage, Mr. B was not transported to the emergency room, which was a 10-minute drive from the accident site. This was because Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital, the only hospital in the area capable of emergency surgery, had suspended nighttime emergency room operations the day before the accident. He was transferred to a hospital in Cheongju and underwent surgery around 1 p.m. the next day, more than 18 hours after the accident, and eventually fell into a comatose state. It is reported that he has not regained consciousness for over a week and remains in critical condition.
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