66 hospital ERs to stay open during Chuseok holiday in Seoul

Seoul Medical Center ER entrance. [YONHAP]

Sixty-six emergency rooms in Seoul will stay open during the six-day Chuseok holiday that kicks off on Thursday.

The city government said Wednesday that all 66 emergency rooms, including those at general and university hospitals, will be open 24 hours a day as usual.

Among the hospitals that will have their ERs open during the holiday, 31 are regional emergency medical centers, 18 are local emergency medical centers and 17 are local medical agencies.

Emergency patients are referred to different types of hospitals based on the severity of their symptoms and injuries.

The most severe patients, such as those suffering from cardiac arrest or physical trauma, are sent to regional emergency medical centers, which are large hospitals typically run by conglomerates or universities, such as Yonsei University’s Severance Hospital and Samsung Medical Center.

These are hospitals with at least 300 beds.

Local emergency medical centers are smaller general hospitals that treat patients in moderate conditions. Although these hospitals have a medical staff consisting of specialists, they are required to transfer patients in severe conditions to bigger hospitals.

Local emergency medical agencies are much smaller hospitals that treat patients with mild symptoms.

However, only two hospitals, Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno District, central Seoul, and Asan Medical Center in Songpa District, southern Seoul, specialize in pediatrics among the hospitals that will operate ERs during the holiday.

In addition to the 66 hospitals, 3,163 local medical institutions and clinics will be open during the holiday, as well as 5,996 pharmacies.

Those seeking medical attention or taking care of them can find hospitals, clinics and pharmacies that are open by calling the emergency control center at 119 or Dasan Call Center 120 or by using the “e-gen” app on mobile or the National Emergency Medical Center’s website.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government’s website also shows the information on 7,354 stores in Seoul, including convenience stores, that carry the 13 over-the-counter drugs, including antacids, cold medicine and antipyretics.

The city said it will operate all public health centers in all of its 25 districts during the holiday. The centers will prioritize providing medicine for those aged 60 or older at higher risk of getting Covid-19.

“We hope that people with light symptoms such as a stomachache would use the smaller hospitals in their neighborhoods, the public health clinic or the drug stores instead of rushing to an ER,” Park Yu-mi, the director of the city’s citizen health bureau, said.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]