Seongnam City Medical Center, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. News 1
On July 12 last year, A patient in her 60s was urgently transferred to Seongnam City Medical Center in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do. He was a severely ill patient with end-stage renal failure due to diabetes. He had to undergo hemodialysis and hemothorax surgery right away, but when it was confirmed that Mr. A was confirmed to have a new coronavirus infection (Corona 19), there was no hospital to come forward.
In an emergency situation, such as continuing bleeding in the chest cavity, Park Joon-seok, 45, chief of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Seongnam City Medical Center, announced that he would operate on A. At the time, Seongnam City Medical Center was not officially opened, so there was no negative pressure chamber to prevent infection. The hospital vacated all eight operating rooms just in case. Only the minimum medical staff, including manager Park, were put on full-body protective clothing and were put into operation. The operation ended successfully. Mr. A is still in good shape. Manager Park said, “Isn’t it possible to ignore a critical patient because there is a risk of getting infected?”
Visiting Seongnam City Medical Center for treatment from abroad
Manager Park is the only thoracic surgeon at a public medical center in the Gyeonggi area. It is famous as an expert in lung cancer, esophageal cancer, pneumothorax, and chest disease.
At the beginning of last year when the Corona 19 occurred, he spurred his position as an assistant professor at a university hospital (Bundang Cha Hospital) where he had been working for the past 7 years and moved to Seongnam City Medical Center. When he announced his intention to change job, he said, “Why are you going to leave the position where success is guaranteed?” He also performed 220 general anesthesia out of 400 surgeries per year at Bundang CHA Hospital.
Manager Park revealed that the reason for the turnover was because of the’patient’. He said, “Patients with incurable diseases have to follow up and observe for a long period of time, but many patients feel burdened by expensive medical expenses.” I thought I could manage and treat for a long time from surgery to rehabilitation,” he said. Many patients also moved to Seongnam City Medical Center following Manager Park.
Joon-Seok Park, Director of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Seongnam City Medical Center. Seongnam City Medical Center
They also come from abroad to receive treatment from Park. B, a Korean scientist in her 40s living in Singapore, has been suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis since 2018. When his condition deteriorated to the point of hemoptysis, he decided to go to Korea. B, who was impressed with Professor Park’s thesis, sent an e-mail to Professor Park and inquired if treatment was possible. Professor Park responded by sending a long reply at the time, and Mr. B decided to go to Korea to undergo surgery in August of last year.
The problem was Corona 19. The immigrants are obligated to self-isolate for two weeks and then be admitted to the hospital, but Mr. B’s condition was serious to do so.
Seongnam City Medical Center requested the government to conduct self-isolation at the hospital so that Mr. B can receive treatment quickly. Even during the self-isolation period, Professor Park checked Mr. B’s condition and immediately began surgery when the quarantine was over. B returned to Singapore after recovering safely.
“I’m going to be a doctor next to the patient for a long time”
Manager Park kept the hospital silently even when the general strike took place in August last year, led by medical groups. “It is the mission of public medical institutions to ensure that patients receive the right treatment at the right time,” he thinks.
Manager Park’s opinion that prioritizes patients is also revealed in medical treatment. His average treatment time per patient is over 30 minutes. In addition to examining the patient’s condition, he keeps up with the current situation and sincerely explains personal questions. That’s why I often get complaints about “the treatment time is too long”. Then, the patients around him come out and say, “The teacher who originally had a long treatment time.”
View of Seongnam City Medical Center. Seongnam City
Seongnam City Medical Center was designated as a dedicated hospital for Corona 19 in January. This means that the role of thoracic surgery in charge of the lungs and the like has grown. Professor Park said, “All the staff at the medical center are working hard,” and “I will be a doctor next to the patient for a long time.”
Reporter Choi Moran [email protected]
