Seoul City Safety Awards Select 'Director Jo In-su, Nurse Kwon Young-ok' and Others for "Contributions to COVID-19 Response"

Joint Award to Director Jo In-su of Hanil Hospital and Nurse Kwon Young-ok of Seoul National University Hospital Emergency Room

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will hold an awards ceremony on the 24th, selecting a total of three individuals and four organizations, including Jo In-su (54), director of Hanil Hospital, who operated the first private hospital dedicated to infectious diseases and worked hard to prevent and treat COVID-19 infections, as recipients of the 7th Seoul Safety Awards.

From July 16 to September 17, Seoul received a total of 21 nominations and applications, and after a rigorous review by a merit review committee composed of 13 safety experts, the awardees were selected. This year, four medical personnel and organizations who contributed to COVID-19 response were chosen as recipients of the Safety Awards.

The grand prize was jointly awarded to Director Jo In-su and Kwon Young-ok (40), an emergency room nurse at Seoul National University Hospital. Director Jo swiftly converted Hanil Hospital into a dedicated infectious disease hospital, the first among private hospitals, and operated nationally designated negative pressure rooms, admitting and treating 29 confirmed COVID-19 patients and treating a total of 1,460 patients to date. He also conducted 51,800 PCR tests, contributing significantly to the prevention and containment of COVID-19 infections.

Nurse Kwon was recognized for her contributions in operating preemptive isolation beds for suspected severe emergency COVID-19 patients and preparing manuals, as well as for her nursing care and medical professional education for emergency patients. In addition, the Seoul Medical Association and Songpa District Medical Association, which spared no effort in medical support such as preparing and distributing various educational materials to prevent the spread of COVID-19, along with the Yeongdeungpo District Autonomous Disaster Prevention Group, Songpa District Pungnap 2-dong Autonomous Disaster Prevention Group, and Mr. Lee Geun-cheol, who have been steadily working to promote local safety security and safety culture in Seoul, were named recipients of this year’s Seoul Safety Awards.

The Safety Awards ceremony will be held this afternoon at Seoul City Hall, where Mayor Oh Se-hoon will present plaques and medals to the awardees. Mayor Oh said, "Despite the difficult conditions caused by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, it was thanks to the silent dedication of medical personnel who endured it and the efforts and devotion of many people who contributed to spreading a culture of citizen safety in daily life that Seoul could become a safer city. I sincerely thank all the heroes who are quietly working for citizen safety throughout our society at this very moment, including the awardees receiving honors today."

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