Medical Association Announces 'COVID-19 Clinic Operation Plan'... "Community Healthcare Institutions at the Center of Response"

Rapid Antigen and PCR Tests for Experts, Home Treatment Implementation

On the morning of the 27th, Lee Jeong-geun, the full-time vice president of the Korean Medical Association, is speaking at the 'Press Conference on Operation Plans for COVID-19 Clinics' held at the Korean Medical Association's temporary Yongsan office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Kwanju Lee, Youngwon Kim] As the Omicron variant spreads rapidly, causing a surge in new COVID-19 cases, the medical community has proposed a response plan centered on 'local clinics.' The plan aims to shift the COVID-19 response system to focus on community-based medical institutions.

On the morning of the 27th, the Korean Medical Association (KMA) held an emergency press conference at the KMA Yongsan Temporary Hall's main conference room in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to announce the 'COVID-19 Clinic Operation Plan.'

In the press release, the KMA explained, "Since the highly transmissible Omicron virus became the dominant strain, the spread has accelerated rapidly, putting the medical field on high alert. To overcome this situation, it is necessary to transform the current medical system and shift the response framework to focus on community-based medical institutions."

They continued, "We plan to actively participate with a sense of mission in implementing the government's proposed COVID-19 clinic operation plan, which aims to create a safe treatment environment where community clinics can treat patients who have both COVID-19 symptoms and other diseases simultaneously."

The operation plan proposed by the KMA centers on COVID-19 clinics, integrating professional medical judgment for respiratory patients, specimen testing, home treatment, and patient allocation to provide coordinated examination, testing, and treatment. COVID-19 clinics will conduct professional rapid antigen tests (RAT), polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, and home treatment. If the RAT result is negative, re-testing or PCR testing will be recommended or referred based on the patient's symptoms; if positive, necessary treatment and prescriptions will be provided even before PCR testing is conducted. In cases of preliminary severe condition assessment, immediate requests for hospital bed allocation to public health centers will be made.

Additionally, public health centers will designate and manage home treatment candidates, and clinics and home treatment institutions will promptly implement home treatment. Patients will be monitored remotely, and if severe (suspected) cases occur, hospital bed allocation will be requested from public health centers, and patient transfer will be carried out.

The KMA stated, "The operation of COVID-19 clinics will be led by the medical associations of 16 metropolitan cities and provinces, accepting applications from members who wish to participate. However, since the current operation plan is not perfect, we intend to improve it through consultations with the government as we proceed and identify areas needing enhancement."

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