'Disaster Trauma' Medical Institution Connection Support for Bereaved Families and Injured

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Young-won] The government has decided to establish a linkage system connecting mental health medical institutions for specialized treatment following counseling, in cooperation with medical organizations, for the bereaved families and injured victims of the Itaewon disaster.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare's Itaewon Accident Response Headquarters announced on the 12th that at the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting chaired by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, they discussed the "Plan to Establish a Psychological and Medical Support Linkage System" for the bereaved families and injured victims of the Itaewon accident.

The government, the Korea Medical Association, and related academic societies agreed to build a cooperative system and start its operation from the 16th. The psychological and medical support linkage system will be formed through collaboration among the National Trauma Center, the Medical Referral Center, and mental health medical institutions.

The National Trauma Center will refer bereaved families, injured victims, and their families to the Medical Referral Center if psychiatric treatment is deemed necessary during counseling or if the individual requests specialized medical care.

The Medical Referral Center, established within the Korea Medical Association, will be responsible for finding and matching appropriate medical institutions by comprehensively considering regional accessibility and the preferences of the individuals. The Korean Neuropsychiatric Association and the Korean Society for Mental Health Medicine will recruit participating institutions from mental health hospitals and clinics nationwide, and these medical institutions will provide specialized treatment and care to the support recipients.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare explained that the National Trauma Center will continue post-management by monitoring the referral status and treatment progress even after linking the individuals to medical institutions.

Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong stated, "Trauma experienced after a disaster can reduce aftereffects and expect rapid recovery through early and prompt intervention and specialized treatment. Therefore, the psychological and medical support linkage system is expected to greatly contribute to the psychological recovery of the affected individuals."

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