Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon announced on the 6th that 500 million won from the city’s disaster management fund will be allocated to the training center at Korea University Guro Hospital, which is at risk of closing. This decision follows the complete cut of a 900 million won support budget for the center during the National Assembly’s budget review process. Mayor Oh pointed out through a Facebook post that, much like the fictional narrative in the popular Netflix drama “Trauma Center,” real-life critical trauma centers are often first on the chopping block due to poor profitability.
Mayor Oh expressed concern that if the center closes, it will create a greater gap in emergency medical services, as it has been an essential facility, having treated 571 critical trauma patients in just the past year and producing 20 lifesaving specialists over the past 11 years. He pledged to maintain the current functions of the training center with the city’s funding and announced plans to expand the specialist training system to other hospitals. Emphasizing the importance of training trauma specialists, he stated that it is a critical responsibility of the mayor to ensure the safety and well-being of citizens, and he committed to building a medical safety net, assuring that “Seoul will take responsibility.”