Transition Team to Expand Emergency Treatment Scope for 119 Paramedics

119 paramedics (Photo by Yonhap News)

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[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] The 20th Presidential Transition Committee is pushing to expand the scope of emergency treatment by 119 paramedics.

The Political, Judicial, and Administrative Subcommittee of the Transition Committee announced on the 20th, "We will promote measures to expand the scope of emergency treatment so that 119 paramedics can provide more professional emergency care than they do now."

Considering the necessity of emergency treatment and cases from advanced countries comprehensively, the plan is to increase the types from the existing 14 to 21. This includes the administration of drugs (epinephrine) for patients in cardiac arrest or shock.

119 paramedics, who hold qualifications as emergency medical technicians and nursing licenses, have a very limited legal scope of work compared to their expertise. The number of patients with cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases transported by 119 paramedics continues to increase every year, causing difficulties in providing essential emergency treatment on site.

A representative from the Transition Committee explained, "Regarding this, the National Fire Agency conducted a pilot project over the past three years to expand the scope of paramedics' duties to verify the safety and effectiveness of the expanded treatment scope. As a result, it was evaluated that the expansion of paramedics' duties contributed to protecting citizens' lives by providing more professional treatment to 330,000 emergency patients annually."

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