Dongducheon-si Maintains Designation as Emergency Medical Vulnerable Area... Protecting Citizens' Medical Rights

Mayor Park Hyeongdeok: "Decision to Maintain Emergency Medical Underserved Area Status is an Important Achievement for Protecting Citizens' Safety and Health"

Dongducheon City, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Park Hyung-deok) announced on the 5th that Dongducheon City has been continuously included as a medically vulnerable area in emergency medical care in the Ministry of Health and Welfare's administrative notice of the 'Designation of Medically Vulnerable Areas in Emergency Medical Care.' With this decision, the city will be able to maintain emergency medical support and protect the medical rights of its citizens.

A view of Dongducheon City Hall. Provided by Dongducheon City.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Welfare had notified in October that Dongducheon City was planned to be excluded from the medically vulnerable areas starting in 2025.

Accordingly, the city was concerned that if the designation as a medically vulnerable area in emergency medical care were lifted, support for private emergency medical facilities would be discontinued, and the closure of emergency rooms would become inevitable. To prevent this situation, in November, the city submitted a petition to the Ministry of Health and Welfare requesting the maintenance of the medically vulnerable area status.

Along with this, Dongducheon City closely cooperated with local members of the National Assembly, provincial councilors, city councilors, and social organizations to actively inform the Ministry of Health and Welfare about the importance of Dongducheon’s emergency medical system.

This united effort by the local community positively influenced the policy decision of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, resulting in Dongducheon City being able to maintain its status as a medically vulnerable area in emergency medical care.

With this designation maintained, Dongducheon City secured subsidies totaling about 700 million KRW, including 98 million KRW from the national government and 600 million KRW from the provincial government, laying the foundation for stable operation of the emergency medical system.

Mayor Park Hyung-deok of Dongducheon City said, “If Dongducheon City were excluded from the medically vulnerable areas, private emergency medical facilities used by about 13,000 people annually would be closed, and mild emergency patients would not receive appropriate treatment, potentially causing a medical crisis.” He added, “The decision to maintain the medically vulnerable area status is an important achievement to protect the safety and health of Dongducheon citizens. I deeply thank the Ministry of Health and Welfare for this decision, as well as National Assembly member Kim Seong-won, the Dongducheon City Council, and all the citizens who worked hard.”