Government "Maintaining Stable Ground Medical Care System During Seol Holiday"

An Average of 16,815 Hospitals and Clinics Open Daily During the Holiday Period
Emergency Medical Institutions Under Intensive One-on-One Monitoring with Designated Officers

The government has designated an emergency response period for the Lunar New Year holiday and is taking steps to maintain a stable emergency medical system.

Reporter Jo Yong-jun

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for the doctors' collective action announced this on the 24th at a meeting held at the Government Seoul Office, chaired by Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance. The government has designated the two-week period from the 22nd to the 5th of next month as the "Lunar New Year Emergency Response Period" and is implementing special measures to maintain the emergency medical system in preparation for the Lunar New Year holiday.

To ensure the effective implementation of various support measures, the government plans to operate a monitoring and inspection system during the holiday period. During this Lunar New Year holiday, an average of 16,815 hospitals and clinics are expected to be open daily. This represents an increase of 361.6% compared to last year’s Lunar New Year holiday and 92.3% compared to the Chuseok holiday. The government has significantly strengthened compensation for medical institutions operating on the day of the Lunar New Year and has requested local governments to actively seek cooperation from regional medical and pharmaceutical associations to secure as many open medical institutions as possible.

Additionally, for 413 emergency medical institutions nationwide, one-on-one dedicated officers from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, and each local government have been assigned to conduct focused monitoring. To reduce emergency room overload by dispersing patients with mild respiratory illnesses, the number of designated fever clinics has been expanded from 115 to 135. Furthermore, the scope of respiratory disease cooperative hospitals (197 institutions) has been expanded from COVID-19 to include influenza and pneumonia patients, enhancing the response capacity for respiratory diseases. Support has also been strengthened for high-risk maternal and neonatal care, which has weaker treatment capacity, through measures such as ▲ operation of dedicated obstetrics and neonatal transfer teams, ▲ establishment of a separate comprehensive situation board, and ▲ requests for cooperation to secure NICUs (Neonatal Intensive Care Units) by city and province.

To ensure smooth operation of medical institutions participating in treatment, a duty and management system will also be activated during the Lunar New Year holiday. The Central Emergency Medical Center’s Central Emergency Medical Situation Room will monitor patient status by severity and bed occupancy rates 24 hours a day and support transfers for severe and emergency diseases. Disaster medical hotlines and standby support personnel will also be checked in preparation for mass casualty incidents. Each local government will operate an "Emergency Medical Management Situation Team" with the head of the organization as the team leader. In addition, each public health center will operate an "Emergency Medical Treatment Situation Room" to inspect the emergency medical system within their jurisdiction and manage information on hospitals and clinics that are open.

Choi Sang-mok, Acting Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, said, "I sincerely thank all medical staff and pharmacists who work hard for the lives and safety of patients even during the holiday." He added, "The government will do its best to protect the daily lives and safety of the people during this Lunar New Year holiday period."