The South Korean government and National Assembly are overhauling the ambulance operation management system to eliminate so-called "fake ambulances" that have been misused for transporting celebrities or as commuting vehicles.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said Monday it will hold the "First Health and Welfare Sector Normalization Task Force Meeting" on Tuesday at Conference House Dalgaebi in Jung-gu, Seoul, to discuss candidate normalization tasks including the eradication of fake ambulances.
As part of the national normalization project, the ministry is identifying illegal and improper practices as well as institutional improvement tasks that remain across health and welfare policies. Strengthening the management of private ambulances is one of them.
Private ambulances play a crucial role in the emergency medical system, handling 68.5 percent of inter-hospital patient transfers. However, controversy has grown recently as some operators used ambulances as transportation for celebrities or violated traffic regulations. Critics also said such practices exploit the emergency transport system and threaten patients' lives.
The ministry and local governments conducted a full inspection of 147 private transport operators nationwide from July to September last year. As a result, 94 violations were identified at 88 operators.
The inspection found that 80 operators managed operation documents poorly, including omitting operation records or failing to submit dispatch records. Other violations included unauthorized use, overcharging for transport and treatment fees, and transporting patients outside authorized business areas.
Some operators parked ambulances near employees' homes under the pretext of "rapid dispatch" and used them as commuting vehicles, the investigation found. Cases were also uncovered in which operators repeatedly charged base fares while transporting the same patient to three hospitals consecutively, as well as cases of operating outside licensed business areas.
The ministry said the inspection confirmed the limitations of the existing document-based management system. Going forward, it plans to manage ambulance operations based on real-time GPS information.
When an ambulance is in operation, transmitting GPS information to the National Emergency Medical Center in real time will be mandatory, and a system for constant monitoring will be established. The aim is to verify illegal operations more efficiently by linking GPS information with operation documents.
Related legislation is also being pursued in the National Assembly. Rep. Seo Young-seok of the Democratic Party of Korea, a member of the Health and Welfare Committee, in January introduced a partial amendment to the Emergency Medical Service Act, which converts the ambulance operation inspection system from document-based management to a computerized management system. The bill is currently pending before the Health and Welfare Committee.
The ministry is also strengthening cooperation with the Korean National Police Agency. Since July last year, it has participated in the police agency's crackdown on basic order violations to establish enforcement standards for ambulances, and is also receiving information on fines imposed on ambulances to cross-check with operation records.
Meanwhile, the government decided to establish an appropriate compensation system for private ambulances. Transport and treatment fees, frozen since 2014, have increased the management burden on operators and induced illegal and improper practices, critics have pointed out.
Accordingly, the government will raise base fares and surcharges and introduce night and holiday premiums as well as waiting fees. It is also reviewing health insurance support for the transfer of severely ill emergency patients and the introduction of a certification system for private transport operators.
"Through a system-based ambulance management framework, we will enhance the transparency and trust of ambulance operations and improve the system so that patients can be safely transported through monitoring of patient conditions and appropriate treatment during transfer," a ministry official said.
