Gyeonggi Province Operates 45 Pediatric Night and Holiday Medical Institutions, the Most in the Country

Gyeonggi Province operates the largest number of pediatric night and holiday medical institutions in the country, with 45 facilities, establishing a comprehensive medical infrastructure that covers all cases from severe to mild pediatric conditions.

According to Gyeonggi Province on May 19, the province implemented the "Gyeonggi Pediatric Night and Holiday Care Improvement Plan" last year after gathering opinions from relevant agencies and experts to address the avoidance of pediatric emergency care by university hospitals and the phenomenon of pediatric "open runs."

Following the implementation of this plan, Gyeonggi Province expanded the number of pediatric night and holiday medical institutions from just five Dalbit Children's Hospitals in 2021 to 45 facilities currently. These 45 facilities include three pediatric emergency designated medical institutions, 31 Dalbit Children's Hospitals, and 11 pediatric night and holiday medical institutions in underserved areas.

Gyeonggi Province explained that this systematizes medical institutions according to the severity of pediatric patients' symptoms, allowing for efficient use of limited pediatric medical resources while also improving accessibility.

Pediatric emergency designated medical institutions are facilities capable of providing dedicated 24-hour emergency room care for severe pediatric emergency patients. In addition to the existing Bundang CHA Hospital and Ajou University Hospital, Gyeonggi Province recently added the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital. As a result, the three designated institutions now divide the northern and southern regions of Gyeonggi Province to handle pediatric emergency cases.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

The 31 Dalbit Children's Hospitals, which provide pediatric care at night as well as during the day, offer outpatient services until 11 p.m. on weekdays and until 6 p.m. on weekends. The number of night and holiday visits to Dalbit Children's Hospitals increased from 120,000 cases in 2021 to 1.05 million cases in 2024, an 8.6-fold increase.

In addition, Gyeonggi Province operates the "Gyeonggi Pediatric Night and Holiday Medical Institution System for Underserved Areas," which provides operating cost support to medical institutions that have difficulty meeting the operating hours of Dalbit Children's Hospitals due to staffing and other issues.

Yoo Youngcheol, Director of Health and Welfare at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "From last year through the beginning of this year, we have focused on establishing improvement measures and expanding medical institutions to address gaps in pediatric care," adding, "Going forward, we will not simply increase the number of institutions, but will create a practical and sustainable system that allows patients to receive appropriate care according to the severity of their condition."