5,231 Hospitals, Clinics and Pharmacies to Open on Chuseok Day
When you need to visit a hospital during the Chuseok holiday, it can be hard to know where to go. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, 5,231 of the nation's hospitals, clinics and pharmacies will open on Chuseok day for citizens in need of urgent medical care. According to the ministry, an average of 8,294 medical institutions and pharmacies will open each day during the four-day Chuseok holiday from September 24 to 27. Among them, on Chuseok day itself, September 25, 341 hospitals, 1,240 clinics, and 227 facilities including public health centers will open, along with 2,894 pharmacies.
During the holiday, 416 emergency medical institutions will maintain their usual 24-hour care system for all four days. This includes 44 regional emergency medical centers, 139 local emergency medical centers, and 233 local emergency medical institutions, while 113 emergency medical facilities will also operate. Over the holiday, the nation's 17 regional trauma centers and similar facilities will run an emergency care system for special traumas such as finger amputations, and 29 regional and local cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease centers will also maintain 24-hour care. The operation of 156 Moonlight Children's Hospitals and 14 pediatric emergency medical centers will also be monitored.
During this holiday, the transport system for critically ill emergency patients will be expanded to a nationwide operation. The government conducted an emergency patient transport innovation pilot program in Gwangju, North Jeolla and South Jeolla from March to May this year. During the three-month pilot, there were no cases of emergency room rejection in the Gwangju and Jeolla regions. Building on this, the government expanded the transport system nationwide, reflecting regional medical resources and characteristics, and at the government's request, all cities and provinces nationwide have, as of September, completed revising transport guidelines in coordination with emergency medical institutions, local fire departments, and metropolitan emergency medical situation rooms, and are applying them in stages.
The ministry and the Central Emergency Medical Center will operate a 24-hour situation room throughout the holiday, monitoring regional emergency response systems and the operation of on-call medical institutions. Lee Gyu, the ministry's public health policy officer, urged people with mild symptoms to first visit a nearby neighborhood hospital or clinic, asking for cooperation so that emergency room medical staff can focus on treating critically ill patients.
