On December 15, Kang Hoonshik, Chief Presidential Secretary, instructed officials to come up with improvement measures, stating, "Whether it is the so-called 'emergency room ping-pong' or being bounced around on the road, there is no difference from the public's perspective."
Deputy Spokesperson Jeon Eunsu conveyed in a written briefing that Kang made these remarks during a meeting with senior aides on the same day.
Kang pointed out, "In South Korea, which boasts one of the world's best medical systems, there are cases where emergency patients are unable to find a hospital," and criticized, "What used to be 'emergency room ping-pong' has now turned into being bounced around on the road, unable even to reach a hospital."
Kang also addressed issues such as the dual emergency medical management system divided between the National Fire Agency and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as well as the question of medical liability when accepting patients. According to Deputy Spokesperson Jeon, Kang urged relevant ministries and the medical community to prepare practical improvement measures based on the standard of "what can be done to save even one more life."
During his instructions, Kang also mentioned the recent case of a high school student in Busan who died as an emergency patient. At the time, the 119 emergency team reportedly requested transfers to several hospitals, including university hospitals, but the patient was not accepted due to reasons such as unavailability of treatment.
Kang further highlighted the excessive caregiving burden for severely ill patients and those with severe disabilities being shifted onto families, stating, "We can no longer ignore the issue of 'caregiving-related homicides.'"
Kang emphasized, "A social structure that places the responsibility of caring for severely ill patients solely on families is causing tragic crimes," and called for society to share the burden that can destroy the lives of entire families.
Accordingly, Kang instructed relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society, to develop institutional improvement measures so that society as a whole can share the caregiving burden for severely disabled and critically ill patients.
He also requested that, as a priority, they review measures that could substantially ease the caregiving burden for low-income and socially vulnerable households in the short term.
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