Teenager Dies After Wandering Over 2 Hours in Ambulance... Only 4 Medical Institutions Disciplined

Ministry of Health Investigation Confirms Emergency Medical Refusal
Kyungpook National, Fatima, Keimyung Dongsan, Daegu Catholic University Hospitals
Correction Orders, Subsidy Suspension, and Fines Imposed

Photo of an emergency medical center.

In relation to the death of a teenager who suffered severe trauma in Daegu last March and died after spending more than two hours being transferred between emergency rooms without receiving timely treatment, administrative sanctions were imposed on four out of eight medical institutions in Daegu. The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 4th that it confirmed violations of the Emergency Medical Service Act by four medical institutions?Daegu Fatima Hospital, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, and Daegu Catholic University Hospital?and decided on corrective orders, suspension of subsidy payments, and imposition of fines. These sanctions were based on joint on-site and document investigations conducted from March 29 to April 7 by a joint investigation team comprising the Fire Agency and Daegu City, as well as the results of two meetings involving 11 experts in emergency medicine, trauma, health policy, and law.

Teenager Falls from Fourth Floor... Refused Treatment and Transferred Repeatedly

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, A (17), who fell from a fourth-floor building in Daegu on March 19, first visited Daegu Fatima Hospital, a regional emergency medical center. When the 119 paramedics brought A to the emergency room entrance, the attending physician on duty said, “It seems that psychiatric treatment is necessary,” and recommended transferring her to another medical institution. Even after the paramedics called the emergency room again to emphasize the need for trauma treatment, they were refused, with the explanation that “it is difficult to provide treatment for psychiatric emergency patients.”

A was then transferred to Kyungpook National University Hospital (a regional emergency medical center). The paramedics parked the ambulance and entered the emergency room to request admission. The attending physician said A “appeared to have severe trauma” and instructed them to first check with the regional trauma center. While the regional emergency medical center is the final emergency room concept for treating severe patients, the regional trauma center refers to a specialized treatment facility for trauma accidents such as falls. The paramedics called the Kyungpook National University Hospital regional trauma center twice but were refused due to other trauma patients being treated and lack of available beds. However, the joint investigation team explained that “there were available beds, and many of the other patients being treated were mild cases.” They also pointed out that “there was no effort to confirm additional patient admission capacity or patient transfer through communication between the medical staff of the regional emergency medical center and the regional trauma center during the situation.”

Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital and Daegu Catholic University Hospital, both regional emergency medical centers, also refused to admit A. Although the 119 paramedics called twice, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital said, “Trauma patient surgery has started,” and Daegu Catholic University Hospital said, “There is currently no neurosurgery staff due to academic conference attendance.” A joint investigation team official emphasized, “Refusing admission for such reasons without knowing what treatment the patient needs cannot be considered a justifiable refusal of emergency medical care.”

The Other Four Institutions Found “No Violation of Laws”

The Ministry of Health and Welfare ordered these four emergency medical institutions to comply with corrective orders within six months from the date of disposition. Additionally, it suspended subsidy payments of 220 million KRW to Kyungpook National University Hospital and 48 million KRW each to Daegu Fatima Hospital, Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital, and Daegu Catholic University Hospital during the compliance period. Furthermore, fines of 16.7 million KRW and 36.74 million KRW were imposed on Kyungpook National University Hospital and Daegu Fatima Hospital, respectively.

A drifted without receiving treatment at the other four emergency medical institutions, but the Ministry of Health and Welfare stated that “there were no violations of laws.” Samil Hospital (regional emergency medical institution) and Barobon Hospital (emergency medical facility) admitted and examined A but judged that their capabilities were insufficient and transferred her to other medical institutions. Yeungnam University Hospital (regional emergency medical center) received two calls from 119 paramedics but refused admission, stating that “they were treating multiple severe patients, and if A waited for a long time, it would be dangerous.” Nasaret General Hospital (regional emergency medical institution) was in a similar situation. The joint investigation team said, “Based on the circumstances confirmed through the investigation, it is difficult to consider these two hospitals as violating laws.” Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, recognizing that a patient death due to refusal of admission occurred in Daegu, known as ‘Medi City,’ attributed the incident to insufficient coordination and cooperation among emergency medical entities and recommended that Daegu City establish transfer guidelines and form consultative bodies among local governments, 119 paramedics, and emergency medical institutions to improve the system.

“Not Just a Problem of Daegu Medical Institutions”

The Ministry of Health and Welfare believes this incident is not solely a problem of Daegu’s emergency medical institutions. Kim Eun-young, director of the Emergency Medical Service Division at the Ministry, said, “The ‘4th Basic Emergency Medical Plan (2023?2027)’ announced last March aims to provide emergency medical services that prevent incidents like A’s case,” adding, “We will promptly implement key tasks to prevent similar accidents from recurring.”

In addition to the measures included in the Basic Emergency Medical Plan, the Ministry plans to pursue additional countermeasures in cooperation with the Fire Agency, local governments, and medical institutions. They will revise paramedic guidelines to enable paramedics to assess patient conditions during transport and strengthen competency training. Moreover, emergency medical institutions will be required to separately manage records of 119 paramedics’ admission requests and responses, and if admission is difficult, specific obligations to resolve such issues will be introduced.

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