Surge in ER restriction messages highlights strain on emergency care amid medical staff shortages

The government says the emergency medical care system is running smoothly even amid the medical turmoil. However, messages from 409 emergency rooms nationwide on limiting emergency care sent to the Central Emergency Medical Center have increased rapidly, an analysis showed.

According to a report by Rep. Kim Sun-min of the splinter opposition Rebuilding Korea Party, which analyzed the data submitted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 72,411 emergency room treatment restriction messages were sent from February when doctors resigned due to the announcement to increase the number of medical students to Aug. 26.

This is 22.7 percent, or 13,407, more than the same period last year.

The messages, which had hovered around 9,000, surpassed 10,000 in May as burned-out healthcare workers were pushed to their limits due to the prolonged government-doctor conflict. The emergency care restriction messages increased from 9,235 in February to 9,494 in March, 9,977 in April, and 10,706 in May.

The number then dipped to 10,078 in June, surged to 12,311 in July, and dropped slightly to 16,010 as of Aug. 26 but has since not fallen below 10,000.

In August, when the number of “ER wandering” continued to rise, 3,721, or 35.1 percent, of the 16,010 emergency room restriction messages were due to medical staff shortages, including the absence of specialists. However, it was difficult to make a clear distinction because many of the messages were labeled as “unavailable,” “emergency surgery unavailable,” or “unavailable due to departmental circumstances,” according to the report.

“Is it normal for the Office of the President to say that the emergency room is running smoothly when there are so many restricted messages because there are no doctors in the emergency room due to the resignation of a major following the announcement of the expansion of medical schools?” Rep. Kim said. “The government should take urgent measures to prevent chaos from occurring as more patients will visit emergency rooms due to the many accidents during the Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day) holiday.”