7-Month-Old Confirmed Baby Dies Due to Transfer Delay? ... "No Medical Staff, Not Beds"

Jungsubon to Add 200 More Delivery Beds for COVID-Positive Pregnant Women This Month

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] An investigation revealed that a 7-month-old infant infected with COVID-19 who died after not being transported to the emergency room in time was refused admission because nearby emergency rooms either had no isolation beds or, although beds were available, lacked pediatric specialists.

The quarantine authorities also decided to secure 200 more delivery beds for pregnant women diagnosed with COVID-19 within this month.

On the 22nd, Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters' quarantine team, stated at a regular briefing regarding the criticism that the 7-month-old infant infected with COVID-19 died due to delayed hospital transfer, "It was not due to a shortage of beds."

Earlier, the fire department announced that on the 18th, a 7-month-old infant receiving home treatment in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, experienced seizures and deteriorated health. Attempts were made to transfer the infant to about 10 hospitals, but due to difficulty in admitting to emergency rooms in the Suwon area, the infant was transferred to a university hospital in Ansan, 17 km away, where the infant later died.

Park said, "When paramedics transfer a patient, they provide information such as the patient's condition and age to nearby hospitals and check if admission is possible." He added, "The reasons hospitals gave for refusing admission were that although emergency room beds or isolation beds were available, there were no pediatric specialists, and the infant showed cyanosis, indicating that resuscitation was not possible."

He further explained, "In pediatric cases, whether a hospital has beds is important, but the presence of medical staff capable of treating children also influences the decision. It seems such situations occurred."

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters, currently, 496 beds prioritized for pediatric patients are prepared in 32 medical institutions in the metropolitan area. However, the specific institutions with pediatric-prioritized beds were not disclosed due to institutional requests and other reasons. Currently, there are five pediatric specialized emergency medical centers and three pediatric-only emergency rooms operating nationwide.

The headquarters stated, "We are making efforts to expand pediatric specialized emergency medical centers so that pediatric emergency patients can receive timely emergency treatment."

The quarantine authorities also decided to secure additional beds in response to repeated cases where pregnant women infected with COVID-19 or in close contact with confirmed cases could not find hospitals for delivery and ended up giving birth in ambulances or public health centers. Currently, there are 82 beds available for confirmed pregnant women to undergo cesarean sections and deliver.

On the 18th, in Gumi, Gyeongbuk Province, a pregnant woman who was diagnosed the previous day with COVID-19 could not find a hospital for delivery and gave birth at a public health center. On the 15th, in Gwangju, a confirmed pregnant woman who could not find a hospital for delivery eventually gave birth in an ambulance.

Park said, "Based on various data from the field, vertical transmission (infection of the fetus from the mother) is not occurring," adding, "However, due to remaining concerns, we are securing as many negative pressure rooms for mothers and neonatal rooms to isolate newborns as possible."

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