[Exclusive] Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital with 'Cancer Hospital' Vision Unable to Admit Emergency Patients in November ... What's Behind the Situation?

It has been confirmed that Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital, a general hospital located in Uichang-gu, Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, will have difficulty admitting emergency patients requiring urgent surgery throughout the month of November.

According to reports, the Gyeongsangnam-do provincial government recently received an official letter from Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital via the Changwon Public Health Center, stating that "from November 1 until midnight on the last day of the month, the hospital will not be able to admit emergency and trauma patients who require emergency surgery."

In response, the provincial government notified university hospitals and other medical institutions in the region about the situation at Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital and sent an official request for cooperation in accepting emergency patients.

As this information spread to each medical institution, concerns arose that Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital might not have any anesthesiologists available.

Some questioned how a hospital that plans to build a 500-bed cancer specialty hospital in the Sari-dong area of Uichang-gu by 2030-offering integrated services from cancer diagnosis and surgery to chemotherapy, pain management, nutrition, and psychological support-could be unable to secure anesthesiologists.

Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital. The Asia Business Daily DB

In response, Changwon Hanmaeum Hospital clarified, "It is not that we do not have any anesthesiologists. Out of our four anesthesiology and pain medicine specialists, one will be on leave for a month due to childbirth, which has resulted in a shortage of personnel."

A hospital representative stated, "Due to two years of conflict between the medical community and the government, there has been a significant decrease in the number of new doctors. As a result, it is extremely difficult to recruit doctors, not only in anesthesiology but across all medical departments."

"Although the doctor should ideally take more time to recover after childbirth, she considered the hospital's situation and decided to return after just one month. We are truly sorry and grateful for her decision," the representative added.

Regarding the content of the official letter, the hospital explained, "Of course, we will accept patients who require emergency surgery, such as those needing emergency delivery, or those suffering from cerebral hemorrhage or peritonitis. However, due to the shortage of staff, it is not possible to accommodate 100% of such cases, which is why we sent the letter."

"Even with all four anesthesiologists present, we would still need more hands, but with one on maternity leave, we can only handle the most urgent cases," the representative said. "We believed that notifying the Gyeongsangnam-do Emergency Medical Situation Room, 119, and the public health center about the hospital's situation would enable a faster response in the event of an emergency patient."

The representative added, "We are continuously posting job openings for doctors, but due to the aftermath of the conflict between the medical community and the government, even though specialists are returning to the field, most are heading to the Seoul metropolitan area, making recruitment difficult. We expect that by the time the cancer hospital is built, the current situation will improve."

Furthermore, the representative stated, "We expect to be able to accept emergency patients as before after one month. Although we will be short-handed for a while, we will do everything we can to save lives."