'119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Act' Amendment Proposed
"If Paramedics Select a Hospital, Priority Admission Required"
Bum Nam Yang, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker.
Yang Bum Nam, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Gwangju Seo-gu Eul), announced on the 18th that he has proposed a revision to the 119 Rescue and Emergency Medical Services Act. The amendment stipulates that when a 119 emergency rescue team or an emergency situation center selects a hospital for the transfer of an emergency patient, the designated medical institution must give priority to admitting the patient.
Under the current Emergency Medical Services Act, the head of an emergency medical institution cannot refuse or avoid providing emergency medical care without a valid reason when asked by a 119 emergency rescue team or an emergency situation center to confirm whether admission is possible.
However, even after the implementation of the system, the emergency patient admission system has not functioned organically. As a result, 119 emergency rescue teams often experience prolonged on-site waiting times or delayed transfers because they are unable to find a hospital to receive the patient.
In fact, the average time ambulances spend on site before departure increased from 10 minutes in 2023 to 13 minutes in 2025, and there have been unfortunate cases where patients died inside ambulances.
The proposed amendment clearly defines "transfer" as the entire process carried out by the 119 emergency rescue team, including assessment and treatment of the emergency patient, selection of the transfer hospital, and handover of the patient, until the patient is delivered to the medical institution.
In addition, the amendment allows the 119 emergency rescue team or the emergency situation center to select the transfer hospital as a priority. The designated medical institution is then required to accept the patient on a priority basis, provide emergency treatment, and, if necessary, transfer the patient to another hospital afterward.
The amendment also clarifies procedures for cooperation with central or other city/provincial emergency situation centers in cases where transfer outside the local area is necessary due to the patient's condition or local circumstances.
Yang emphasized, "The so-called 'emergency room merry-go-round,' where patients miss the golden hour because they cannot find a hospital, must now be resolved. I hope this amendment will serve as the starting point for discussions to address the issue of patient transfer delays and to establish practical measures that can protect people's lives."
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