Dedicated Ambulance for Emergency Transport in Home Treatment Dispatched First... "Strengthening Emergency Transport System" (Update)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo So-jeong] The government is strengthening the emergency transport system as the possibility of emergency situations increases due to the rise in home treatment cases.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced on the 17th that it will establish an efficient transport system for COVID-19 home treatment patients within the scope that does not interfere with the transport of general emergency patients.

Accordingly, in general situations such as simple symptom onset, patients will be transported by public health centers or private ambulances, while in emergency situations such as respiratory distress or decreased consciousness, or when severity and urgency cannot be determined, patients will be transported by 119 ambulances.

The 119 Comprehensive Situation Rooms (Ambulance Situation Management Centers) in each city and province will establish a 24-hour hotline with home treatment management teams (or managing medical institutions) to share information.

When emergency transport is needed for home treatment patients, accurate information such as patient condition and assigned hospital bed will be conveyed to the dispatched 119 paramedics to provide emergency treatment appropriate to the patient's condition and transport them quickly to a suitable hospital.

A total of 1,581 119 ambulances nationwide (including 295 infectious disease dedicated ambulances) will be prepared to dispatch immediately in case of an emergency.

For emergency transport of home treatment patients, dedicated ambulances will be dispatched first, and if there are no dedicated ambulances or they are located far away, the nearest general ambulance will be dispatched. However, in ultra-emergency situations, the nearest ambulance will be dispatched regardless of whether it is dedicated or general.

The Fire Agency stated, "In response to the phased recovery of daily life from COVID-19 and the expansion of home treatment, we plan to establish and operate a seamless transport system to prepare for the increased demand for emergency transport of confirmed patients and home treatment patients by 119 paramedics."

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