Medical Professional Groups: "Limitations in Critical Care System... Temporary Hospitals Should Be Built in Gyms and COEX"

Statement from the Society of Critical Care Medicine and Other Professional Academic Organizations
"Urgent Need to Establish a COVID-19 Critical Care Treatment System"
Limitations of Securing Beds Only at Existing Tertiary Hospitals

On the 7th, at the Yeongdeungpo-gu Public Health Center screening clinic in Seoul, citizens are waiting to undergo diagnostic testing as the daily new confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in South Korea recorded 615, marking two consecutive days in the 600s. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Medical professional academic societies have emphasized that the current hospital bed securing plan centered on large hospitals, promoted by health and quarantine authorities, has limitations in treating critically ill patients. They argued that a completely different medical system should be established, such as building large temporary hospitals in places like gymnasiums or convention centers.

On the 7th, 11 professional academic societies, including the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine and the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases, issued a statement containing these points. The organizations pointed out the recent increase in new confirmed cases and patients aged 60 or older who are at high risk of progressing to severe illness, warning that "this could burden the entire medical system and potentially lead to an unprecedented disaster situation due to a shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds."

The organizations stated, "The government authorities are sticking only to the operation of the already secured limited ICU beds and additional bed securing plans with clear limitations, without sufficient and effective measures or implementation for expanding ICU beds." They urged, "Urgent policy changes must be sought to expand a sufficient number of ICU beds and establish an efficient medical system in preparation for the rapidly increasing patients."

Medical staff treating a patient in a negative pressure isolation ward

The health authorities are responding by admitting asymptomatic or mild patients to residential treatment centers, and moderate patients with worse symptoms to infectious disease-dedicated hospitals. Severe patients are sent to separate dedicated beds designated by the authorities. ICU dedicated beds are mainly located at the National Medical Center or regional medical centers, and some are designated in private hospitals. Private medical institutions are mostly designated based on large tertiary hospitals considering medical staff capable of treating critically ill patients.

The organizations said, "The tertiary hospital-based measures have clear limitations in terms of the number of beds, personnel management, and infection control while having to minimize damage to non-COVID-19 patients and simultaneously treat COVID-19 critically ill patients." They proposed, "We suggest establishing phased measures such as a hub dedicated hospital-based response plan and a parallel response plan to build large temporary hospitals utilizing gymnasiums and convention centers." Below is the full text of the statement.

Statement from Professional Academic Societies on Establishing an Intensive Care System in Response to the Surge of COVID-19

New daily COVID-19 confirmed cases have surged past 600, and the number of patients aged 60 and above, who are at high risk of progressing to severe illness, is rapidly increasing. This not only burdens the entire medical system but could also lead to an unprecedented disaster situation due to a shortage of ICU beds. To reduce the mortality rate caused by COVID-19 through appropriate intensive care, it is necessary to maximize and efficiently operate critical care capacity.

Since the first wave in March, the medical community has advocated through various channels to the government and health authorities the necessity of establishing an intensive care system, including securing and identifying beds, patient triage, and transfer. However, the establishment of an intensive care system by the government, health authorities, and medical community, which determines the success or failure of the COVID-19 response, has unfortunately stagnated. Currently, the government authorities are sticking only to the operation of the already secured limited ICU beds and additional bed securing plans with clear limitations, without sufficient and effective measures or implementation for expanding ICU beds. Experts from related academic societies, including the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine, earnestly propose once again the urgent expansion of COVID-19 ICU beds and the establishment of a care system.

The government and health authorities must urgently seek policy changes to expand a sufficient number of ICU beds and establish an efficient care system in preparation for the rapidly increasing patients, moving away from the current ICU bed securing and operation plans. The current tertiary hospital-based measures, which the government and health authorities insist on, inevitably have clear limitations in the number of beds, medical personnel management, and infection control while minimizing harm to non-COVID-19 patients and simultaneously treating COVID-19 critically ill patients.

Therefore, we urge and propose establishing phased response plans that move away from the current tertiary hospital-based response, including a hub dedicated hospital-based response plan and a parallel response plan to build large temporary hospitals utilizing gymnasiums, convention centers, etc.

Beyond the clearly limited current policies, we hope for wise and collaborative responses by listening to the opinions of experts, including academic societies, to secure sufficient beds and establish an efficient care system, thereby providing appropriate treatment to the rapidly increasing critically ill patients through proactive and effective policies.

December 7, 2020

Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine Korean Society of Infectious Diseases Korean Society of Infection Control Nurses Korean Academy of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases Korean Society of Pediatric Infectious Diseases Korean Society of Preventive Medicine Korean Society of Emergency Medicine Korean Society for Healthcare-associated Infection Control and Prevention Korean Society of Clinical Microbiology Korean Society of Antimicrobial Therapy Korean Society of Epidemiology

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