An Elderly Stroke Patient Asked for Help... "Pardon?" 119 Repeatedly Asked and Hung Up

Missed Golden Time, Diagnosed with Cerebral Infarction
Elderly Family's 청 Petition
"If They Had Dispatched on Time, Dad Wouldn't Be in This Condition Now"

An elderly man who collapsed due to a cerebral infarction called 119 several times, but the situation room staff mistook it for a prank call and ignored it, according to allegations. / Photo by the Blue House National Petition Board capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] An octogenarian who collapsed due to cerebral infarction reportedly called 119 for rescue twice, but the situation room firefighter ignored the calls, leaving him unattended for nearly seven hours. Eventually, the elderly man was transported to the hospital late, saving his life but suffering partial nerve paralysis.

On the 15th, a post titled "Negligence of Duty by Chungcheongbuk-do Fire Headquarters 119 Comprehensive Situation Room" was uploaded on the Blue House National Petition board. The petitioner, A, who identified herself as the daughter of the elderly man who collapsed from cerebral infarction, said that on the morning of the 7th at around 6:45 a.m., she received a call from her father saying "I feel strange" and hurried to her home. At the scene, her father was collapsed, and A called 119 to transport him to the hospital. However, the golden time for surgery was missed, and he was diagnosed with cerebral infarction with some nerve damage.

After the elderly man was hospitalized, A and her family checked his phone records and found a call to 119 at 11:18 p.m. the previous day (6th). The family who called 119 was told, "There were two reports from the same number, but due to no response, the report was not processed."

Record of a call between an elderly person and 119 disclosed by Mr. A. / Photo by Cheongwadae National Petition Board capture

A’s family reviewed the recorded call from the time of the report. The recording shows the elderly man saying in a slurred voice, "The child is dying. Can you come just for a moment?" However, the situation room staff who answered the call responded once with "Yes?" and then, hearing the slurred speech, ended the call. As a result, the elderly man was left unattended until around 7 a.m. the next day, when his family found him and took him to the hospital.

Regarding this, A said, "Even as a layperson, I can tell this was an emergency rescue signal," and questioned, "Why did the 119 personnel on duty mistake this call for a false report? Were they too busy to respond at the time my father called?"

She added, "Although my father is 82 years old, he was working in public labor, physically strong, and healthy," emphasizing, "If they had responded on the day of the report, my father’s condition would definitely not be like this."

A’s father, who collapsed from cerebral infarction, is currently in a serious condition, wearing diapers, receiving liquid meals through a nasal tube, and unable to sit in a wheelchair by himself.

It is also reported that on the 6th, when they called 119, the elderly man crawled to open the front door in anticipation of the rescue team’s arrival despite his discomfort.

A urged, "The 119 rescue request system must be improved to prevent a second victim like my father," and appealed, "Please consider that this could happen to your own parents and help clear this injustice."

Meanwhile, the Chungbuk Fire Headquarters, which received a related complaint through the National Civil Petition system, reportedly requested an audit of the situation room staff who received the elderly man’s call to accurately ascertain the incident’s details.

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