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| ▲ On the morning of the 11th, construction of a 48-person container-infectious disease-dedicated bed is underway in an empty lot next to the main building of the Seoul Medical Center in Sinnae-dong, Jungnang-gu, Seoul, which will be used as a recovery room for corona19 patients. | |
| Ⓒ Kwon Woo-seong |
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The most pressing problem brought about by the’third pandemic’ of Corona 19 in Korea is’securing beds’. Suddenly, as the spread increases and nearly 1,000 patients a day occur, the existing medical system is not functioning properly. In particular, there is a continuing talk that there is no’critical patient bed’ that can be used in the metropolitan area, where the number of confirmed cases has exploded.
The government started to prepare measures for Buryaburya. From the 13th to the present, the number of (quasi) critically ill patients has been expanded in 24 places and 130 beds. In addition, starting on the 18th, it is planned to prepare a total of 328 critically ill beds by the end of the year, with orders to secure 1% of the number of licensed beds to the hospitals for severely ill patients from the 18th.
However, there is a story of’lack of dynamism’ in the field. The government announces that there are still beds, but in actual hospitals, there are cases of death in the air because’all beds’ are not available.
“It is too late even if the government is late,” said Woo Seok-gyun, co-representative of the Humanitarian Practitioner’s Council, who has argued that it is necessary to expand public medical facilities and secure beds from the beginning of the Corona 19 epidemic. “In a medical disaster situation where patients are dying, I don’t know why the government says that the medical response system works well,” he exclaimed.
“It is an urgent situation that the government must mobilize 10% of the hospital beds rather than 1% of the hospital beds,” said Co-CEO Woo. “The government that took power under the value of protecting the safety of people’s lives denied its identity and turned away from the wishes of the people. “There is,” he criticized intensely.
The following is a summary of questions and answers with Co-CEO Woo.
“The government response is late… the manpower problem is also serious”
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| ▲ “Emergency for shortage of beds, emergency press conference for government reestablishment of bed mobilization system and urging social responsibility for private hospitals” was held in the morning of the 14th at the Participation Solidarity in Jongno-gu, Seoul, for the realization of the right to health. It was hosted by meetings and participation solidarity. | |
| Ⓒ Kwon Woo-seong |
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-The government says the number of waiting patients is decreasing and more hospital beds are being secured than before. Are the actual medical conditions improving?
“It’s not at all. It’s continuing one step late. Civil society has been repeating the story of’Increase public beds and establish a system for mobilizing private hospital beds’ in preparation for the Corona 19 epidemic from February. In the face of the third pandemic, The Federation of Health and Medical Organizations made three statements from the end of November to December, and on the 14th, they even held a press conference because they wanted’No.’
However, only on the 18th, the government issued an order to provide beds in a senior hospital. Governments are slower than civic groups. In local public medical centers, many patients die unknowingly because the intensive care unit is full. The entire bed itself, including the bed for critically ill patients (including the hospital bed dedicated to infectious diseases), is also insufficient. The workforce problem is also very serious. The appeal of’I can’t stand it’ is popping up. One medical center said that a patient who died in a shared room had been in the hospital room for four hours. This is what happens because the number of critically ill patients is soaring and the manpower is scarce.”
-It doesn’t seem that there is a shortage of only critically ill beds.
“For a single example, the Yangji nursing hospital in Ulsan, where a cohort was quarantined due to a group infection occurred, is not a hospital that can cure Corona 19. Ulsan has no public hospitals and private hospitals do not have beds, so it could not be transferred. So, confirmed and non-confirmed It is said that the ruler was separated, but the spread continued from within.
Due to the lack of hospital beds, people 65 years of age or older with underlying diseases can also be transferred to a life treatment center (according to the judgment of the medical staff). However, if these people suddenly get worse, they have to be hospitalized, but they cannot go to the hospital.
The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine issued a statement saying,’The emergency room is in the area of paralysis.’ Since there are no beds, patients are also piled up in the emergency room. About the shortage of hospital rooms, the Emergency Medicine Society called it a’medical disaster’. However, the government is talking that’the medical system is still in operation’. I can’t figure out the situation.
-What is the reason for not securing beds like this?
“If 1,000 patients come out, 400 of them will have to be hospitalized. 1000 beds are finished in two and a half days. Patients develop faster than the government provides beds. The talk of mobilizing a high-level general hospital came a long time ago. At least last Monday Monday. By (December 14), the administrative order for mobilizing 10% of the hospital beds in the metropolitan area should have been issued, but it was too late, why can only Korea not secure corona intensive care beds? In New York, 70% of the intensive care unit of a general hospital was filled with only Corona 19 patients. There are enemies.”
“You have to secure a bed by any means.”
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| ▲ The nurses in the 39 infection control ward of Seoul National University Bundang Hospital are wearing Level D protective clothing. | |
| Ⓒ Lee Hee-hoon |
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-It is said that it is difficult to secure a large number of beds in reality because there are many patients with severe illness other than Corona 19 in higher general hospitals.
“Seoul National University Hospital has the largest number of critically ill patients among the big five, and among them, it has secured the most corona 19 critically ill beds. Soonchunhyang University (Bucheon) hospital participated in the’Corona 19 base dedicated hospital.’ How did they secure the beds?
For now, you can postpone non-emergency surgery. According to data from Shimpyeongwon in 2018, 36.1% of the patients with severe ill patients accounted for in upper-level hospitals. In general, 56.2% of patients who can be treated at secondary hospitals, and 7.7% of patients with mild symptoms. Of course, you cannot remove all the beds. However, it should be considered that 90% of Korean hospitals are private hospitals, and their beds remain. There are large hospitals like this, how can we run out of beds to treat COVID-19?
The reason why you should use advanced general hospitals is that they have the most well-prepared manpower and facilities. The situation is urgent now. It would have been nice if we could talk about the hospital bed mobilization system in advance, but it is not possible at this time, so we have to go to a’equipped’ hospital.
While emptying the ward of Soonchunhyang University Hospital, a professor said: “If you can’t treat urgent patients, why is there a hospital?”
-Is the government the problem? Are hospitals too uncooperative?
“The government is a problem. Whether it is an administrative order or seeking social cooperation, we have to mobilize beds. We must mobilize 10% first, and then secure more if needed later. There is a government to match.
If you haven’t made plans for a year, you’ll have to move quickly even now, but I’m still afraid of backlash from private hospitals. Now a person is dying. In a situation where people are dying, I don’t really understand what the government is like now. Whether you pay the loss compensation in advance, you have to secure a bed by any means.”
-If you have any last words you want to say.
“On the 24th, the Corona Civil Society Countermeasures Council will announce one more statement. The title is’It’s late and late.’ The government came to power with the word’People’s life and safety will be the top priority’. But now self-identity is in power. It seems that they are denying them and turning away from the wishes of the people.”