Chungcheong hospital emergency rooms shutting down as doctors leave

An increasing number of major hospital emergency rooms are suspending operations amid the medical void due to medical doctors’ collective walkouts. Until last month, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital and Chungbuk National University Hospital temporarily closed their emergency rooms for a day or two or reduced certain medical services, but hospitals began to suspend weekend or nighttime treatment indefinitely from Sunday.

Konkuk University Chungju Hospital decided to operate the emergency room only from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays starting from Sunday. The decision was made to close the emergency room on weekday nights and weekends, as well as during the Chuseok holiday. "All seven specialists working in the emergency medicine department announced their intention to resign, of which five of them actually left the hospital, hence the decision,” explained the hospital.

Eight out of 15 emergency medicine specialists left Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital, which suspended night emergency room operations on Sunday. Two out of five emergency medicine specialists on leave at Kangwon National University Hospital will no longer provide adult care at night from Monday.


조유라기자 jyr0101@donga.com