A new system will transport cardiac arrest and severe trauma patients to pre-designated hospitals while a regional emergency medical control center assigns hospitals for other critical patients to 119 paramedics. The initiative aims to help paramedics focus on on-site treatment instead of finding available hospitals, preventing the so-called "emergency room runaround."
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Fire Agency announced on the 25th that they will conduct a three-month pilot program (March-May) in Gwangju, North Jeolla, and South Jeolla provinces. Under the program, regional emergency medical control centers will directly verify hospital availability and select facilities for severe emergency patient transfers. Authorities plan to analyze the results and consider nationwide expansion in the second half of the year.
The key change involves restructuring transfer procedures for severe emergency patients (pre-KTAS levels 1-2). The most critical patients, such as those in cardiac arrest, will be immediately transported to pre-designated hospitals. For other severe cases, 119 paramedics will simultaneously transmit patient information to both the regional control center and the 119 emergency dispatch center. The regional center will then select an appropriate hospital after checking availability of medical resources including intensive care units and operating rooms.
When hospital selection is not possible within an appropriate timeframe, "priority receiving hospitals" will be activated. These facilities will provide initial stabilization treatment, then coordinate with the regional control center to transfer patients to hospitals capable of definitive care. The 119 service will support transportation when transferring severe patients.
The medical community has expressed mixed reactions. The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine said it was "positive that the pilot program began through communication and collaboration." However, the Korean Association of Emergency Physicians, primarily comprising employed and private practice doctors, criticized the plan as "a typical armchair theory considering the convenience of specific professional groups and political interests," adding that they would "persuade members not to participate."