Chief Secretary Kang Hoon-sik pointed out structural issues in the emergency medical system and the burden of caring for critically ill patients during a meeting with senior aides today (15th), urging relevant ministries to come up with fundamental improvement measures. Kang emphasized that “whether it’s emergency room or road roundabouts, there’s no difference from the public’s perspective,” highlighting that in South Korea, which boasts one of the world’s best medical systems, emergency patients still lose their lives because they cannot find a hospital.
Kang mentioned the recent case of a high school student who died in Busan, noting that the 119 emergency team requested transfers to several hospitals, including university hospitals, but the patient was not accepted due to reasons such as inability to provide treatment. He pointed out that while the past issue of ’emergency room roundabouts’ occurred after arriving at the hospital, the current issue has shifted to ‘road roundabouts’ where patients cannot even reach the hospital.
Kang then urged relevant ministries and the medical community to come up with practical improvement measures based on the criterion of “what can save even one more life,” addressing issues such as the dualized emergency medical management system between the Fire Department and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the responsibility for medical accidents when accepting patients. He also mentioned the excessive burden of caring for critically ill patients and severely disabled individuals being placed on families, stating that the issue of ‘caregiving murders’ should no longer be neglected.
Kang cited several cases where families, after long periods of caregiving, made extreme choices, pointing out that the social structure that places the responsibility of caring for critically ill patients solely on families is a cause of tragic crimes. He also mentioned media reports indicating that cases of caregiving murders have been steadily increasing since 2006, emphasizing that society should share the burden that destroys not only the patient but the entire family’s life. Accordingly, Kang urged relevant ministries and agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, and the Low Birth Rate and Aging Society Committee, to come up with fundamental system improvement measures that share the burden of caregiving for severely disabled and critically ill patients between families and society.