40s Man Dies After Wandering 3 Hours Searching for Emergency Room... Delay Due to Staff Shortage

On the 26th, when the second general strike in the medical sector was enforced, a notice about delayed medical treatment was posted at the entrance of the emergency room at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The photo is unrelated to the article content. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Amid ongoing collective medical strikes, a man in his 40s who ingested drugs wandered for about three hours searching for an emergency treatment hospital and fell into a critical condition, eventually passing away.

According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters on the 28th, at around 11:25 PM on the 26th, a report was received by 119 that Mr. A (47) in Buk-gu, Busan, was in critical condition after ingesting drugs.

Earlier, Mr. A, who was caught in a drunk driving crackdown, was voluntarily accompanying police officers to the police substation when he suddenly ingested drugs after stopping by his home.

Paramedics who responded to the report searched for over an hour for a hospital capable of treating drug poisoning, but due to lack of available staff, the process was delayed.

Mr. A eventually went into cardiac arrest and was transferred to a hospital in Buk-gu at around 12:40 AM on the 27th, approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes after the report was received.

At this hospital, Mr. A received emergency treatment and his pulse returned, but a hospital capable of treating drug poisoning was still not found.

Later, about three hours after the report, at 2:20 AM on the 27th, Mr. A was transferred to the emergency room of Ulsan University Hospital, but he fell into a critical condition and ultimately passed away in the afternoon of the 27th.

The police plan to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding Mr. A’s death.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.