President Lee: "People Are Still Dying Due to 'Emergency Room Ping-Pong'...Report Separate Measures"

"It Should Be Standard Practice to Provide Emergency Care and Arrange Hospital Transfers"

President Lee Jaemyung has called for measures to address the so-called "emergency room ping-pong" problem. He emphasized the need to resolve the issue of patients wandering the streets because they cannot find a hospital for treatment.

Yonhap News Agency

On December 16, at a Ministry of Health and Welfare work briefing held at the Sejong Convention Center, President Lee stated, "There are people dying in 119 ambulances due to emergency room ping-pong," and added, "A hospital should be better equipped than 119 paramedics or family members. Isn't it only right to at least provide emergency care and then transfer the patient to another hospital if necessary?" With these remarks, he instructed the relevant authorities to take action.

In response, Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyung emphasized the importance of having a control tower to match patients with hospitals. Minister Jeong explained, "The system of distributing patients by phone was implemented due to emergency room overcrowding. If final treatment cannot be provided, it is inevitable that a bottleneck will form somewhere." When President Lee asked again whether this system is functioning as a mechanism for rejecting emergency patients, Minister Jeong replied, "It is important to establish a control tower and a regional situation room to match patients with hospitals."

President Lee further commented, "Although a system has been established, the reality is that some parts are not functioning. The problem of patients being transported around in ambulances still persists, so please prepare measures and report separately at a Cabinet meeting."