Pohang City Pediatric Emergency Patients, Receive Care Anytime '24 Hours' with Peace of Mind!

Pohang St. Mary's Hospital Operating 24-Hour Pediatric Emergency Room Since 2017

13,535 Cases Treated Last Year, About 10,000 Pediatric Emergency Patients Annually

Mayor Lee Kang-deok, "Strengthening Support for Healthy Growth of Community M

Pohang City has been striving to strengthen the treatment system for pediatric emergency patients since 2017, when it first implemented the nationwide city-funded 24-hour pediatric emergency medical institution operation support project, and continues to do so as of 2024.

In 2020, Lee Kang-deok, the mayor of Pohang, visited Pohang St. Mary's Hospital and toured the related facilities.

Pediatric patients account for one-third of all emergency room patients, representing a significant proportion. Unlike adults, they have distinct medical characteristics such as varying symptoms by age and different equipment usage, necessitating a specialized treatment system.

Accordingly, seven years ago in 2017, Pohang City was the first local government in the country to select ‘Pohang St. Mary’s Hospital’ through a city-funded public contest to operate a 24/7 pediatric emergency room treatment project year-round.

The Pohang St. Mary’s Hospital pediatric emergency medical institution operation support project is staffed by a medical team consisting of four pediatric specialists and about ten pediatric emergency nurses. A separate space within the emergency room is designated to separate adult and pediatric treatment areas, maintaining a treatment system that can care for pediatric patients 24 hours a day.

Last year, the number of treatments reached 13,535, with about 10,000 patients treated annually.

Nationwide, there is a serious shortage of pediatric specialists due to a yearly decrease in the number of pediatricians graduating, worsening working conditions in pediatric emergency rooms leading to specialist departures, and some university hospitals suspending night pediatric emergency room operations or limiting treatment hours, causing a significant medical gap in pediatrics.

In response, this year Pohang City plans to explore various support measures, including securing provincial funding, to strengthen the pediatric emergency patient treatment system.

Mayor Lee Kang-deok stated, “Pediatric treatment institutions are facilities with a strong public good nature, essential for children to grow into healthy members of society. I appreciate the dedication of the medical staff who have worked hard to operate 24-hour pediatric emergency rooms, and we will continue to do our best to support the strengthening of the pediatric emergency patient treatment system.”

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