Choi Dae-jip "Government, Designate National and Public Hospitals as 'COVID-19 Dedicated Hospitals'"

KMA Urges "Shift in Measures for 3rd Wave" at Emergency Press Conference
Designate and Fully Support Hospitals Dedicated to Critical Care

As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) approached the 700 mark for three consecutive days, on the 11th, a patient whose condition had improved was transferred to the infectious disease ward from the negative pressure isolation ward at the National Medical Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. The Central Disease Control Headquarters announced that 689 new domestic confirmed cases were reported as of midnight that day. This is the highest number in 286 days since the 909 cases recorded during the first major outbreak centered in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk regions, and the second largest number ever. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Medical associations have argued that a dedicated hospital system should be established to exclusively treat patients in order to resolve the shortage of intensive care unit (ICU) beds for COVID-19 patients, especially in the Seoul metropolitan area. They urged the government to expedite this process, criticizing it for "dereliction of duty" in failing to properly establish an ICU treatment system until now.

On the 11th, Choi Dae-jip, president of the Korean Medical Association, held an emergency online press conference and stated, "National and public medical institutions should be prioritized and designated as dedicated hospitals for COVID-19 ICU treatment. If their capacity is exceeded, contracts should be made with private hospitals to respond accordingly."

The burden on the healthcare system has greatly increased, with daily new confirmed cases consistently exceeding 500 to 600. In particular, ICU beds equipped with facilities, equipment, and personnel are insufficient not only in the Seoul metropolitan area but also in other regions. Although the government is requesting cooperation from tertiary general hospitals and university hospitals to provide ICU beds for treatment, President Choi emphasized that these demands are being made unilaterally without considering the actual situation on the ground.

President Choi said, "ICU beds are mostly occupied even under normal circumstances, so the government's continuous requests for cooperation in providing beds essentially mean asking to discharge patients currently receiving treatment in existing ICU beds. Even at the current level, doctors, residents, and nurses treating patients are struggling to endure," he appealed.

Choi Dae-jip, President of the Korean Medical Association

Regarding the quarantine release criteria eased by the health authorities, he demanded that detailed living guidelines be established to ensure that discharged patients can live safely, as confirmed patients are returning to society faster than before. He also urged the prompt issuance of guidelines related to ICU patients, symptomatic patients, life treatment centers, and self-treatment. At the government-wide level, he called for the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency to be given full authority over quarantine measures as the control tower for infectious diseases and demanded the disclosure of specific information related to COVID-19 vaccines.

President Choi criticized the government for failing to properly listen to expert opinions and thus not establishing an adequate ICU treatment system, stating, "The government's dereliction of duty is putting the lives of the people at risk." He added, "We must no longer be bound by costs or administrative procedures. While delays occur within the inefficient decision-making structure typical of bureaucracy, tragedies will happen where patients who could be saved are lost."

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