Practical Measures to Maintain and Strengthen the Emergency Medical System
On January 15, Boseong County in South Jeolla Province announced that it is working to maintain and strengthen its emergency medical system by minimizing gaps in local emergency medical services and protecting the lives and safety of residents. The county is implementing a one-stop referral service for critically ill (emergency) patients to higher-level hospitals, as well as providing financial support to emergency medical institutions.
In February last year, Boseong County signed a business agreement with Boseong Asan Hospital to establish a one-stop referral system for critically ill patients. This enables the county to operate a medical system that allows for rapid transfer and coordination of care with higher-level hospitals when critically ill (emergency) patients arise.
Boseong County signed a business agreement in February last year with Boseong Asan Hospital for one-stop medical care coordination for critically ill patients. _(Left: Kim Cheolwoo, Governor of Boseong County; Right: Choi Byungjin, Director of Boseong Asan Hospital) Provided by Boseong County
The core of this service is to handle the entire process-from assessing the patient's condition, referring the patient, making transfer decisions, to transportation-as a single streamlined procedure (one-stop).
In particular, Boseong Asan Hospital is closely cooperating with the Medical Cooperation Center of Seoul Asan Medical Center to ensure swift transfers of critically ill patients. Currently, more than one critically ill patient per month on average is being transferred and treated at Seoul Asan Medical Center.
Whereas it typically takes more than two months on average to receive care at a higher-level hospital in Seoul, this one-stop referral service has reduced the average wait time to two to three weeks, significantly improving access to treatment and patient convenience.
Additionally, starting in 2026, Boseong County has allocated a new budget from its own funds to enhance the stability of emergency room operations. In addition to the existing emergency medical fund, the county plans to provide supplementary operating expenses to two local emergency medical institutions, thereby strengthening the foundation for the sustainable operation of emergency medical services.
An official from the public health center stated, "Through multifaceted efforts such as the one-stop referral service and additional county funding for emergency medical institutions, we will do our utmost to strengthen the emergency medical system and protect the safety and lives of our residents."
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