Government Secures 355 Nationwide COVID-19 Maternity Beds

COVID-19 Positive Mother Gives Birth. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Hyewon] The government has secured 355 delivery beds nationwide for mothers confirmed with COVID-19.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 22nd that a total of 355 delivery beds have been secured, including 264 designated beds at dedicated hospitals and 91 isolation beds at general hospitals.

By region, there are 70 beds in the metropolitan area, 9 in the Gangwon region, 24 in the Chungcheong region, 99 in the Honam region, 19 in the Gyeongbuk region, 127 in the Gyeongnam region, and 7 in the Jeju region. This is an increase of 105 beds from the 250 nationwide as of the 4th of last month.

The government prioritizes assigning beds in each city and province for COVID-19 positive mothers during delivery and also utilizes regional beds in emergencies. Additionally, general hospitals are provided with additional delivery fees to encourage expanded treatment for COVID-19 positive mothers.

For natural delivery, an additional 1,751,380 KRW is added to the existing fee (705,500 KRW including a 20% classification surcharge), totaling 2,451,930 KRW. For cesarean sections, an additional 1,198,290 KRW is added to the existing fee (479,320 KRW including a 20% classification surcharge), totaling 1,677,610 KRW. These amounts are approximately three times the fees excluding the classification surcharge.

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters explained that the reason the number of delivery beds in the metropolitan area is lower compared to other regions is because the general medical system can handle deliveries for COVID-19 positive patients at a manageable level.

A government official stated, "Seoul basically has more obstetrics and gynecology departments compared to other regions. Also, since delivering COVID-19 patients receives three times the fee, the general medical system has become an environment where deliveries can be conducted smoothly. We have unofficially checked the operation rate, and the situation is not bad."

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