Gov’t to deploy military doctors to hospital emergency rooms this week

The health ministry said Monday it plans to deploy military physicians to hospital emergency rooms amid growing concerns over a possible disruption of emergency care during the Chuseok holiday due to a prolonged walkout by junior doctors. Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo told reporters the government would send some 250 military and public health doctors to cope with emergency care before and after the holiday that runs from Sept. 14 through 18. "We are reinforcing the staff by utilizing military and public doctors, while recruiting nurses and contract doctors," Park said. The ministry noted the number of doctors, including specialists and junior doctors, currently working in emergency rooms stands at 73.4 percent of the usual capacity. Of the country's 409 emergency rooms, 406 are maintaining 24-hour operations, although 27 have reduced the number of beds, it added. The total number of beds available at emergency medical institutions had stood at 5,918 as of Friday, representing 97.5 percent of the 6,069 beds recorded in the first week of February, just before the junior doctors' walkout. Source: Yonhap News Agency