No adult emergency care from 6 pm to 9 am starting on the 2nd of next month
Emergency care for children continues 24 hours… Adults admitted during Chuseok holiday period,
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, ‘Breaking News= Following the departure of general physicians, shortage of specialists, etc., led to the suspension of emergency room operations in Gangwon area (previously reported on the 4th page of last month’s issue).’,
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, ‘Starting from the 2nd, Gangwon University Hospital has decided to suspend nighttime emergency room care for adults, excluding emergency care for children. Accordingly, adults will not be able to receive emergency room treatment from 6 pm to 9 am the next day starting on that day.’,
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, ‘Gangwon University Hospital had been maintaining emergency care through five specialists on duty after the departure of general physicians on February 19th, but starting from September, two professors went on leave and leave of absence, making it impossible to continue providing treatment. The hospital had attempted to normalize the operation of the emergency room through duty reassignments, but it was reported that the insufficient staff hindered the operation.’,
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, ‘In the region, Sokcho Medical Center suspended emergency room operations due to doctors leaving, but the emergency room crisis at a university hospital is unprecedented. If emergency room operations are suspended, the treatment of critically ill patients essentially comes to a halt, raising concerns about a ‘medical crisis’.’,
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, ‘Moreover, with the suspension of nighttime emergency care for adults at Gangwon University Hospital, there are concerns that patients from medically underserved border areas such as Chuncheon, Hwacheon, Yanggu, and Inje will flock to Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, accelerating the phenomenon of ‘rotation of emergency rooms’ due to lack of hospital beds and medical staff.’,
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, ‘In fact, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital is facing difficulties in accommodating patients from Chungbuk region due to the restricted operation of emergency rooms at some medical institutions in Chungbuk. In particular, due to a shortage of medical staff, some pediatric patients are being sent back without treatment. This has led to delays even in surgeries for critically ill patients such as brain hemorrhage.’,
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, ‘Gangneung Asan Hospital, the only tertiary general hospital in the Yeongdong region, has been struggling with severe fatigue among medical staff as specialists have been filling the vacancies left by general physicians for six months. With general physicians leaving for more than 6 months, specialists are also complaining of ‘extreme fatigue,’ highlighting the urgent need for measures.’,
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, ‘Recognizing the situation, the government held a meeting with directors of tertiary general hospitals on the 29th of last month to discuss measures to maintain emergency medical care, but as of yet no concrete measures have been implemented.’,
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, ‘On the other hand, Gangwon University Hospital plans to provide 24-hour treatment for adults during the upcoming Chuseok holiday from the 15th to the 18th. A hospital official at Gangwon University Hospital said, “We are in the process of recruiting emergency room doctors and will resume operations as they are filled.”.’,
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