Gyeonggi Province Expands Emergency Medical Response Center from Feb. 21

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Kim Gap-dong] With concerns about medical service disruptions mounting as resident physicians submit resignation letters, Gyeonggi Province has elevated its emergency medical response situation room to the Emergency Medical Response Center (headed by the Administrative Deputy Governor) to take proactive measures.

Currently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare has issued a 'caution' level public health crisis alert (issued on the 6th), making operation of an emergency medical response situation room with the head of the Health and Welfare Bureau as director formally appropriate. However, Gyeonggi Province has independently raised its response level for more active measures.

Accordingly, on the 21st at 9 a.m., Gyeonggi Province held a Gyeonggi Province Emergency Medical Council meeting presided over by Administrative Deputy Governor Oh Byung-gwon, attended by the head of the Gyeonggi Province Fire and Disaster Management Headquarters, hospital directors of nine regional emergency medical centers including Ajou University Hospital, the Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center director, the Seongnam Medical Center director, and the Korea Armed Forces Capital Hospital director, to review the emergency medical response situation.

As of the 20th, according to Gyeonggi Province's tally, 1,573 resident physicians from 33 of the province's 40 resident physician training hospitals have submitted resignation letters. This represents 67.8% of the province's total 2,321 resident physicians.

Deputy Governor Oh announced the province's elevation of the Emergency Medical Response Center, stating "Care disruptions are expected to occur, such as reduced operation of operating rooms and emergency rooms at some university hospitals in the province," and urged "regional emergency medical centers, tertiary general hospitals, and public medical institutions to do their best to maintain the emergency medical system and minimize care gaps."

The province currently maintains a 24-hour emergency medical response system including on-call order management for emergency rooms and real-time collection and management of open medical institutions, as well as a 24-hour severe trauma patient treatment system with two regional trauma centers—Ajou University Hospital and Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital. Additionally, in coordination with the Fire and Disaster Management Headquarters, the province is dispersing and transporting patients to prevent disruptions in severe patient medical services at tertiary general hospitals where resident physicians have gone on strike in case of emergencies.

If the medical community's collective action continues, Gyeonggi Province plans to expand emergency medical response systems including extended weekday treatment hours at six Gyeonggi Provincial Medical Center hospitals and Seongnam Medical Center, and implementation of nighttime treatment.

Earlier, on the 20th, through a video conference with city and county leaders, the province shared the status of resignation letters from resident physician training hospitals in the province and requested checks on emergency medical response systems accordingly. It also requested that health centers expand treatment hours (weekday evenings and holidays) in case the public health crisis alert escalates to the 'severe' level and situations such as clinic closures occur.

Administrative Deputy Governor Oh Byung-gwon plans to visit Ajou University Hospital at 1 p.m. that day to review the emergency room situation.