[465 Social] The Disastrous State of Hospital ERs and Reasons Behind It

   The emergency room crisis has recently emerged as a serious social problem in Korea. The public is now facing a situation where it is difficult to receive proper treatment even in an emergency, and this is causing public anxiety. The recent reported cases clearly reveal the seriousness of this problem. On August 4th, a two-year-old girl was in an emergency situation with a fever and convulsions, but she was rejected treatment from 11 emergency rooms. As a result, she could not receive treatment and became unconscious. This incident shows what the overcrowding and lack of resources in the emergency room can do in Korea right now. The emergency room crisis goes beyond just hospital problems; it is a serious problem directly connected to public health and safety, and social discussions and practical measures are urgently needed to solve this problem.

The government’s push for an increase in medical students and medical strikes

   The current emergency room crisis in Korea is largely due to the conflict between the government’s policy to increase the number of medical students and the strike in the medical industry. The government is pushing to increase medical students to solve the manpower shortage in emergency rooms, local hospitals, and essential medical departments. According to OECD Health Statistics 2021, adopted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the number of doctors in Korea is only 70% of the OECD average, and the number of doctors required for the population is about 60,000 short. This shortage of doctors makes it difficult to allocate adequate manpower in emergency rooms, essential medical departments, and local hospitals, and the government is pushing to increase the number of medical students to solve this problem.

   However, the medical industry is strongly opposed to the government’s policy to increase the number of medical students. The medical industry points out that the increase in medical students may worsen the working conditions of medical staff and lower the quality of medical services. As the government and the medical industry collide, the gap between the two positions is not easily narrowing. As a result, many specialists have resigned, leaving insufficient manpower to provide professional treatment in the emergency room, and the problem of emergency room crisis intensified.

The government’s position on the emergency room crisis

   In the emergency room crisis, amid mounting public concerns, the government insists it can control the overall situation of emergency room operations. According to statistics recently released by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, out of 409 emergency rooms nationwide, 99%, 406 emergency rooms are operating 24 hours a day, and 27 emergency rooms that are undergoing reduced emergency room operations account for only 6.6% of the total. The government believes that the current emergency room operations have not been completely destroyed through these statistics, and noted that the claim that emergency medical institutions are collapsing is unfounded and will only amplify public anxiety.

   In addition, the government is planning to deploy military doctors and public health personnel to solve the problem of manpower shortage in the emergency room. Through these measures, the government aims to alleviate the problem of manpower shortage and increase the stability of the medical system. The input of military doctors and public health personnel is regarded as an important measure to alleviate the heavy burden on the emergency room and to provide medical services in a timely manner.

The medical industry’s position on the emergency room crisis

   The medical industry points out the government’s policy to increase medical students and the resulting strike of specialists as the cause of the emergency room crisis, which has resulted in a shortage of human resources. The medical industry argues that although emergency rooms are in operation, practical treatment continues to be difficult due to a shortage of specialists. When a patient comes to the emergency room, emergency or initial treatment is possible, but patients cannot receive final treatment because there is no doctor who can provide follow-up treatment. This is the main reason for the cases of rejecting patients in emergency rooms, which are easily found in the news these days.

   The medical industry also points out the high legal burden of criminal proceedings as a problem. According to Mediate News, the number of criminal prosecutions of doctors in Korea is 264 times that of Japan and 218 times that of the U.K., and the number of convictions is seven times that of Japan and 50 times that of the U.K.. This legal burden places a great burden on the medical staff, leading to the avoidance of essential treatment departments.

   There is a situation in which doctors avoid emergency rooms due to heavy legal responsibilities and burdens, and as many specialists resigned in opposition to the government’s push to increase medical students, there is a shortage of manpower to provide professional treatment in emergency rooms. As a result, the problem of the emergency room crisis has intensified, and there is a growing voice that more practical solutions are needed for legal protection and manpower acquisition.

   The current emergency room crisis in Korea is intensifying due to a combination of factors such as conflict between the government and the medical industry, opposition to the policy to increase medical students, and legal burdens. The medical strike and the shortage of specialists further highlight the gap in follow-up treatment in the emergency room and exacerbate the emergency room crisis.

   Cooperation between the government and the medical industry is essential to find a solution to this situation. The problem of the emergency room crisis should not end up as a simple temporary solution. From a long-term perspective, overall reorganization and innovation of the medical system are needed. Working together with the government and the medical industry to find practical solutions and establish sustainable medical policies will be the way to overcome the emergency room crisis and establish a healthy medical environment in Korea.