Oh Se-hoon "310 Million Won Invested in Hiring Staff for Private Emergency Medical Institutions"

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon promised to invest 3.1 billion won to urgently hire personnel for private emergency medical institutions by meeting with directors of major tertiary general hospitals and general hospitals included in the so-called 'Big Five.' This is the first time that Seoul City has announced financial support for private hospitals rather than public hospitals amid the current medical crisis.

On the morning of the 8th, Mayor Oh held a meeting with directors of major hospitals in Seoul at Seoul City Hall and stated, "So far, most hospitals have been filling the gaps by deploying specialists and professors, but as the situation prolongs and the number of severe emergency patients increases, it is expected that the damage to patients and difficulties for hospitals will grow even more."

On the 8th, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon held a meeting with the heads of major hospitals in Seoul at the Seoul City Hall Planning Situation Room to discuss emergency medical measures in response to the collective actions of doctors. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

원본보기 아이콘

The meeting was attended by six tertiary general hospitals and twelve general hospitals. There are 14 tertiary general hospitals and 42 general hospitals in Seoul, with attendance rates of 42.8% and 28.6%, respectively. Notably, the five major large tertiary general hospitals in Korea, including Samsung Seoul Hospital and Catholic Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, also participated.

Mayor Oh said, "We plan to inject an additional 3.1 billion won so that private emergency medical institutions can urgently hire medical personnel," adding, "Since tertiary general hospitals and general hospitals have the capacity to save the lives of severe emergency patients, we ask for your cooperation to maintain the functions of emergency rooms and intensive care units to the fullest extent possible." Previously, Seoul City supported the hiring of medical staff at public hospitals with resident vacancies using 2.6 billion won from the disaster management fund.

Mayor Oh's engagement with private hospital officials, including university hospitals, to seek solutions appears to consider that private tertiary general hospitals and general hospitals, which have many beds and attract many patients, have been handling major medical demands in Seoul. University hospitals, which have lost a large number of medical personnel due to the collective resignation of residents, have entered a phase of 'reduced operation,' such as suspending emergency room treatment in some departments. On this day, Mayor Oh plans to listen to the difficulties each hospital is facing and discuss cooperation measures with the attending hospital directors and officials.

Meanwhile, Seoul City is also promoting emergency medical measures centered on public hospitals. The city has extended weekday outpatient hours at municipal hospitals until 8 p.m., and some hospitals with resident resignations are operating 24-hour emergency rooms.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.