"Confirmed Patients Must Receive Direct Treatment if Injured" vs "Concerns About Infection of General Patients"

Atmosphere on the First Day of Operation at Local Clinic's 'Home Treatment Outpatient Center'

On the 30th, the first day COVID-19 confirmed patients were allowed to receive in-person treatment at local clinics and Korean medicine clinics, a notice about the start of in-person treatment was posted at The Bon Hospital in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

"We are starting in-person COVID-19 consultations. All patients can receive spinal, joint, internal medicine consultations, and surgeries."

On the morning of the 30th, at The Bon Hospital located in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Upon ascending to the second floor of the hospital via the stairs, the entire consultation area on the right was set up as a space for in-person consultations and COVID-19 testing for confirmed patients. The consultation room was open on all sides, with six chairs placed in the waiting area for patients. A bed set up in one corner of the consultation room was designated as an injection room, or, depending on the situation, it would be used as another consultation space, explained a hospital official.

On the first day of operating the outpatient treatment center for home care at a local clinic, hospital staff were busy moving around even before consultations began. Notices explaining in-person consultations were posted at the hospital entrance and hallways, and medical staff discussed consultation times and prescription methods for confirmed patients.

Kim Junhan, the chief director of The Bon Hospital, said, "There have been cases where patients scheduled for surgery suddenly tested positive for COVID-19 and had their surgeries canceled," adding, "Starting today, we have prepared so that confirmed patients can also receive internal medicine consultations as well as spinal and joint examinations or surgeries."

A hospital official stated, "Including one resident doctor, nurses and clinical pathologists wear protective gear to see confirmed patients. According to government guidelines, contact areas within the consultation room are wiped with cloth for disinfection and ventilation is carried out, so there is no problem," and pointed out, "Rather than internal hospital disinfection, it is necessary to follow protocols during the confirmed patients’ journey to the hospital."

From this day forward, COVID-19 confirmed patients can receive in-person consultations at more local clinics and hospitals. Previously, outpatient treatment centers for home care were designated mainly for respiratory medical institutions that could treat COVID-19 symptoms, but from this day, medical institutions or Korean medicine clinics treating non-COVID-19 conditions such as fractures and trauma can apply for outpatient treatment center designation and start consultations immediately without a separate review process.

Hospital-level medical institutions can apply for designation as outpatient treatment centers for home care starting today, and clinic-level medical institutions can apply from the 4th of next month through the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. However, to treat confirmed patients, medical institutions must set separate consultation hours or prepare separate spaces within the hospital.

Despite the quarantine authorities announcing guidelines to expand outpatient treatment centers and simplifying the application process, confusion due to insufficient information still occurred in many places on site. A hospital in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, which received an official document around 3 p.m. the previous day, said, "Besides the phrase instructing medical institutions to apply directly to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, there was no information on the start time or method of application, so during preparation, we were at a loss about whether to ask the public health center, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, or another office."

There were also concerns about the possibility of overlapping routes between general patients and COVID-19 confirmed patients during hospital visits. An otolaryngologist in Mapo-gu said, "Since confirmed patients began to be recognized through professional rapid antigen tests, many general patients worry about being infected by contact with confirmed patients in spaces such as elevators and other areas within the hospital," adding, "If patients who have already been confirmed visit the hospital for in-person treatment, general patients will inevitably feel anxious."

Park Hyang, head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters’ quarantine team, said, "As the number of confirmed patients has recently increased, more people want in-person consultations," and added, "We plan to actively expand outpatient treatment centers so that patients can conveniently receive treatment for COVID-19 as well as other underlying diseases and trauma."

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