Kim Dong-yeon "Prepare disaster and emergency medical measures for Lunar New Year holidays... Do our best to prevent safety accidents"

Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, who is visiting Switzerland to participate in the World Economic Forum (Davos Forum), held an emergency video conference on the 23rd (local time) ahead of the Lunar New Year to check the emergency medical situation and disaster preparedness.

The meeting was attended by Kim Seong-jung, First Deputy Governor for Administration, Cho Seon-ho, Head of Gyeonggi Provincial Fire and Disaster Headquarters, Lee Pil-soo, Director of Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center, five hospital directors, including Park Jun-seong, Director of Ajou University Hospital, nine regional emergency medical center hospital directors in the province, and Kim Ki-joo, Vice Chairman of the Korea Association of Nursing Hospitals.

Governor Kim Dong-yeon said, "Since the Lunar New Year holiday is long, we held this video conference from afar to check various emergencies related to the safety and health of the residents. I expect that the residents will have a safe and healthy holiday as you have perfectly carried out the medical and disaster preparedness checks as planned."

He added, "Recently, the number of flu patients has surged, raising concerns about overcrowding in emergency rooms during the Lunar New Year holiday. Last Chuseok, we overcame the crisis of medical service gaps through disaster management fund support, so please do your best to operate the emergency medical system during this holiday period as well."

He continued, "We are operating a 24-hour disaster safety situation room to do our best in safety management against possible heavy snow and cold waves. Since the holiday period is long, I hope you will also take better care of vulnerable groups. Please maintain a perfect emergency contact network between the province and cities/counties and establish a rapid reporting and response cooperation system. Safety, disaster preparedness, and emergency medical systems are the number one priorities during this Lunar New Year holiday."

Gyeonggi Province has designated the period from the 22nd of this month to the 5th of next month as the emergency response week for the Lunar New Year holiday to prevent gaps in treatment for severe patients and to alleviate overcrowding in emergency rooms.

First, Gyeonggi Province has organized a system centered on nine regional emergency medical centers and five base area emergency medical centers to ensure that severe patients receive prompt treatment. In addition, a total of 6,341 hospitals and clinics and 10,779 pharmacies will be open during the four-day holiday period in the province. This is 2.2 times the number of hospitals and clinics open during last year’s Lunar New Year (2,844 places).

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon, attending the Swiss Davos Forum, is reviewing emergency medical situations and disaster response measures for the Lunar New Year holiday through a local video in Switzerland on the 23rd (local time). Photo by Gyeonggi Province

Furthermore, to prevent emergency room congestion during the Lunar New Year holiday, six hospitals of the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center will provide normal medical services on the temporary holiday (January 27), and a transfer system has been established to 46 cooperative hospitals, including the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center, from 287 nursing hospitals in the province in case of high-risk patients due to influenza.

Along with this, Gyeonggi Province is conducting fire prevention safety inspections at 336 traditional markets and multi-use facilities this month to ensure a safe Lunar New Year holiday.

Also, fire stations will conduct special alert duty from the 24th of this month to the 3rd of next month, expanding patrols in fire-vulnerable areas during the holiday period.

In addition, 114,000 tons of deicing agents (23% more than the standard amount) have been secured in preparation for heavy snow and cold waves, and more than 4,000 daytime and 33 nighttime cold wave shelters are being operated. Safety checks for disaster-vulnerable groups, such as phone calls to elderly living alone, are also being conducted.

Gyeonggi Province will operate a 24-hour Gyeonggi Disaster Safety Situation Room during the Lunar New Year holiday to monitor disasters and accidents, manage situations, immediately relay information to related organizations in case of emergencies, and take prompt initial response measures.