Yeosu Coast Guard Effectively Fulfills 'Sea Ambulance' Role

52 Emergency Patients Transported in the First Quarter of This Year

The Yeosu Coast Guard in South Jeolla Province (headed by Kim Kiyong) announced that it had urgently transported 52 emergency patients from island areas and at sea within its jurisdiction during the first quarter of this year.

According to the Yeosu Coast Guard on April 24, the number of emergency patients in the first quarter of this year totaled 52 (an average of 17.3 per month), an increase of 22 (approximately 1.7 times) compared to 30 during the same period last year.

Yeosu Coast Guard is transporting an emergency patient.

By location, 45 patients (86.5% of the total) were from island areas. By individual island, Geumodo in Yeosu accounted for 23 patients (44.2%), followed by Yeondo with 8 patients (15.4%), indicating these were the islands with the highest number of emergency cases.

By age group, 36 patients (69.2%) were aged 61 or older, indicating a high proportion of elderly patients. In addition, the majority of emergency cases were due to illness, with 35 patients (67.3%), rather than accidents (trauma).

In particular, it was confirmed that there was an increase in the number of patients with abdominal pain and vomiting (12 patients), which had not occurred during the same period last year. On April 19, three tourists in their 60s showing symptoms of pufferfish poisoning were urgently transported from Yeondo in Yeosu, showing a trend of various types of emergency cases occurring.

The Yeosu Coast Guard expects the proportion of emergency patients to rise further due to the aging population in island areas and an increase in tourists during the holiday season. Accordingly, it plans to continue fulfilling its role as an ambulance at sea by establishing a rapid maritime emergency transport system through close cooperation with local governments and fire departments.

A Yeosu Coast Guard official stated, "To secure the golden hour for emergency patients at sea, we will strengthen the emergency response capabilities of our on-site personnel and maintain a swift response posture through cooperation with relevant agencies."