Yeosu Coast Guard Transferred 158 Maritime Emergency Patients Last Year

30% Increase Compared to Last Year, Highest Number of Elderly Emergency Patients in Remote Areas

Yeosu Coast Guard transporting an emergency patient. Photo by Yeosu Coast Guard

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Hyung-kwon] The number of emergency patient transports in the jurisdiction of Yeosu Coast Guard in 2020 totaled 158, marking a 32% (38 people) increase compared to the previous year.

According to Yeosu Coast Guard on the 13th, patrol vessels and aircraft belonging to the maritime police transported 158 people throughout 2020 in the Yeosu area’s islands and seas, showing about a 32% increase from 120 people in 2019.

The locations of incidents were 96 cases in island areas, accounting for 62% of the total, 49 cases (31%) at sea including emergency patients occurring onboard, and 9 cases (8%) in other locations such as ports, harbors, and rocky shores. Last year, the increase in anglers led to a rise in emergency patients occurring onboard and on rocky shores.

[By Location]

[By Age Group]

In particular, among emergency patients in island areas, 48 were elderly patients aged 70 or older, accounting for 50%, and the average age of all emergency patients increased from 58 in 2019 to 61 in 2020, indicating a gradual aging trend.

Meanwhile, the number of foreign emergency patients also rose from 7 in 2019 to 21 in 2020, with their proportion increasing significantly from 6% to 13%.

A Yeosu Coast Guard official stated, “We will do our best to serve as the ‘ambulance of the sea,’ protecting the lives of citizens in island and sea areas where the golden time is easily missed,” and urged, “In case of an accident, please promptly report to the disaster integrated reporting number 119.”

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