Plan to reduce hospital refusals draws mixed response

koreaherald.com · Feb 26, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong briefs reporters on a pilot project for a new emergency patient transfer system at the Seoul Government Complex on Wednesday. (Yonhap) The health care sector largely welcomed government plans to change the current emergency transfer system for ambulances, though doctors remained skeptical saying more must be done to address shortages and legal issues.The Ministry of Health an Welfare announced Wednesday that it will launch a three-month pilot program in March across the Jeolla provinces and Gwangju, allowing ambulances to take emergency patients directly to designated hospitals according to the severity of their condition.The policy aims to address the problem of patients spending hours in ambulances when hospitals refuse transfers due to a lack of capacity, with some missing critical treatment windows or even dying as a result.The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine welcomed the measure as a step toward resolving bottlenecks. But some frontline doctors voiced skepticism, saying the plan did little to address shortages in staff and capacity.“The pilot project respects the local emergency medical system while promoting communication and collaboration, and we see it as a positive start,” the society said Wednesday.“We urge that criminal immunity for emergency medical practice and a cap on civil liability damages be expedited through legislation so that emergency medical personnel can provide the best possible care to patients.”The society had previously opposed state-run control centers allocating emergency patients, but its position shifted after the government promised measures to reduce pressure on individual emergency rooms.Under the pilot program, control centers will assign severely ill patients to designated hospitals when acceptance delays become excessive. Officials said patients may be retransferred to appropriate facilities after stabilization, with control centers assuming responsibility for the entire transfer process.The government also plans to direct patients with relatively mild symptoms to smaller hospitals, a move intended to ease overcrowding at large emergency centers and allow them to focus on severe cases.Emergency authorities also welcomed the initiative, saying they would assume responsibility for retransfers and remain at hospitals until follow-up transfer decisions are made.“It is not that we have sufficient personnel or ambulances, but we hope critically ill patients can receive treatment as quickly as possible,” a National Fire Agency official said.However, skepticism remains high among frontline doctors, who argue that the new measures leave legal risks unaddressed, one of the main reasons hospitals hesitate to accept emergency patients and emergency rooms face workforce shortages.“Many issues remain unclear, including whether control centers will share legal responsibility if patient outcomes are poor, and what would happen if an appropriate hospital cannot be secured after initial treatment,” said a physician who requested anonymity.The Korean Emergency Medical Association, a group representing frontline emergency physicians, also issued a statement Wednesday, saying it would urge its members not to participate in the government program.The association said the plan would place patients in emergency rooms without adequate treatment solutions, warning that it could put patients at risk.It also cautioned that proceeding without legal safeguards protecting medical personnel from potential lawsuits would accelerate the exodus of health care workers from emergency rooms, worsening the problem of patient refusals.The ministry said it was considering measures to mitigate legal liability in emergency care while proceeding with the pilot program.“We are aware of concerns surrounding priority acceptance, including legal risks,” Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said. “We will manage the system carefully to prevent such problems from occurring.” forestjs@heraldcorp.com