Local hospitals were ‘crushed by patients not coming’ from Jeju Air plane crash

Condolences continue to pour in from both inside and outside the medical community over the Jeju Air passenger plane crash.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Korean Hospital Association expressed its condolences and sympathy for the bereaved families and wished the injured a speedy recovery. “We also extend our deepest sympathies to the people shocked and saddened by the accident,” it said.

“We will actively support the needs of bereaved families, survivors, and related persons who will experience mental difficulties due to the accident to provide professional psychological treatment and counseling services,” the association said. “We will cooperate with the government, local governments, and member hospitals to ensure that medical support is provided systematically and promptly.”

Candidates running for the presidency of the Korean Medical Association also expressed their condolences.

“I would like to convey my heartfelt sympathy and condolences to all those in deep sorrow,” Choi Anna said in a press release. “If there is anything I can do to help, even in a small way, I will make every effort.”

Choi paid her respects to the victims at a joint memorial during his visit to Jeju Island.

Candidate Joo Soo-ho also said, “I pray for the victims' repose and convey my condolences to the bereaved families. I hope that the quick investigation of the accident will alleviate the bereaved families' pain. We must find out the exact cause of the accident and prevent it from happening again.”

In a press release, the Korean Federation of Medical Activist Groups for Health Rights mourned the victims of the tragedy and stressed the need for a transparent and swift investigation into the cause of the accident.

“Jeju Air's safe flight management system and the safety-related management behavior of its parent company, the Aekyung Group, should be investigated,” the federation said. “The status of safety regulations and enforcement by government agencies should also be investigated and recorded until the tragedy occurred.”

The regional medical community was also saddened by the tragedy, which left only two survivors.

The Jeollanam-do Medical Association said it was “heartbroken” and requested that medical community members wear a ribbon during the mourning period to commemorate the victims. On the day of the accident, the Gwangju Medical Association issued a statement in the name of all its members to express condolences, sympathize with the victims, and provide emergency and psychological care.

“The DMAT (Disaster Medical Assistance Team) was dispatched immediately upon request, and (medical staff) gathered in the emergency room one after another, ready to receive critically ill patients,” wrote Cho Yong-soo, a professor of emergency medicine at Chonnam National University Hospital, on his social media account. “However, not a single patient could be transported,” he wrote, adding that his “heart is breaking.”

The Association of Korean Medicine, a group representing oriental medicine practitioners, also expressed condolences to the bereaved families and promised medical support.

“We will spare no effort to provide various herbal medicinal treatments in cooperation with expert organizations such as the Korean Society of Oriental Neuropsychiatry so that the bereaved family members and related parties can regain mental and psychological stability and recover as soon as possible,” the association said.

“In consultation with the health authorities, we will fulfill our responsibilities as medical professionals by dispatching a medical team of oriental medicine doctors to Muan International Airport, where the accident occurred,” it said. “We sincerely hope that such a tragedy will never happen again in Korea.”