Prime Minister Jeong Visits Central Medical Center, Urges "Take Responsibility and Defend the Capital Region"

Systematic Response Requested for Severe Patients' 'Severity Classification, Bed Allocation, and Transfer'

Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun. (Photo by Yonhap News)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun visited the National Medical Center and urged, "Please respond systematically to ensure that there are no disruptions in the treatment of severe patients in the metropolitan area, with the attitude that we are responsible for the metropolitan area."

On the afternoon of the 1st, Prime Minister Chung visited the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. He visited the center to check the status of securing hospital beds in the metropolitan area related to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) and to encourage the officials.

He received a report on the joint COVID-19 response status in the metropolitan area from Joo Young-soo, Director of Planning and Coordination at the National Medical Center, and inspected the emergency treatment ward for severe COVID-19 patients.

According to the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the National Medical Center is a dedicated infectious disease base hospital for the metropolitan area. It oversees the entire process of 'severity classification → bed allocation → transfer' for COVID-19 confirmed patients in Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon regions.

Prime Minister Chung stated, "The government has established a regional joint response system centered on the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters (CDSCH), and the National Medical Center has played a pivotal role in the joint COVID-19 response in the metropolitan area."

He continued, "The most important task at the government level is to establish a system that allows critically ill patients to receive timely treatment," emphasizing, "The series of processes including severity classification, bed allocation, and transfer of COVID-19 patients must be carried out systematically to help overcome the current crisis."

Regarding the shortage of hospital beds, Prime Minister Chung ordered, "Disclose the situation transparently as it is."

He said, "The development of treatments and vaccines is approaching," and added, "Let us have hope that the end of COVID-19 will come soon, and gather all our strength to endure and overcome it."

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