Choi Acting President: "Dedicated Managers in Emergency Rooms Nationwide During Lunar New Year Holiday...Strengthening 24-Hour Monitoring"

CDSCH Meeting Held Amid Collective Action by Doctors
Special Measures for Emergency Medical System During Lunar New Year Holiday
One-to-One Managers Assigned to All Emergency Medical Institutions Nationwide

Yonhap News

Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, announced on the 24th, "During the Lunar New Year holiday period, one-to-one dedicated managers will be assigned to all emergency medical institutions nationwide for management, and a 24-hour monitoring system will be operated centered on the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Central Emergency Medical Center."

Acting Prime Minister Choi made this statement at the 'Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) Meeting on Medical Staff Collective Action' held at the Central Disaster and Safety Situation Room of the Government Seoul Office in the morning, saying, "We will focus our capabilities on flawlessly implementing special measures to maintain the emergency medical system during the Lunar New Year holiday."

The meeting was attended by Bang Ki-seon, Director of the Office for Government Policy Coordination; Cho Kyu-hong, 1st Deputy Head of CDSCH (Minister of Health and Welfare); Ko Ki-dong, 2nd Deputy Head of CDSCH (Acting Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety); Kim Seok-woo, Acting Minister of Justice; and Kim Beom-seok, 1st Vice Minister of Economy and Finance.

The government designated the two-week period from the 22nd of last month to the 5th of next month as the Lunar New Year Emergency Response Week and decided to implement intensive measures to maintain the emergency medical system. At 413 emergency rooms nationwide, officials from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and local governments will be matched one-to-one by institution to monitor operational status.

Acting Prime Minister Choi said, "This year, respiratory diseases are prevalent, making the roles of hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies open during the holiday period more important than ever," and urged, "The Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and local governments should continuously communicate to ensure that as many hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies as possible participate in medical care during the holiday period, and provide accurate information on open hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies through the Emergency Medical Portal and 129 Call Center."

He also instructed, "The Fire Agency should collaborate with medical institutions, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, local governments, and other related organizations to implement a rapid transfer system according to patient conditions, and the National Police Agency should prepare to ensure that there is no negligence in safety management at medical sites during the holiday period."

Acting Prime Minister Choi added, "Thanks to the high civic consciousness shown by the public during last Chuseok, who yielded emergency rooms to neighbors in greater need, emergency room overcrowding was minimized, allowing more critical patients to receive treatment first," and urged, "During this Lunar New Year holiday period as well, please seek appropriate medical institutions according to the severity of your condition."