Nearly 17,000 clinics and hospitals to remain open during Lunar New Year

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Nearly 17,000 clinics and hospitals to remain open during Lunar New Year

People pass by a pediatric emergency medical center in Seoul on Jan. 16. [NEWS1]

People pass by a pediatric emergency medical center in Seoul on Jan. 16. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Health and Welfare on Thursday announced that some 16,815 medical clinics and hospitals will remain open across the country daily during the extended Lunar New Year holiday starting Saturday.
 
All 44 regional and 136 local emergency medical centers nationwide will operate throughout the holiday break from Jan. 25 to Feb. 2. Also, an average of 9,070 pharmacies will open each day during the holiday.
 
On Jan. 29, Lunar New Year Day, 2,619 hospitals and local clinics will provide medical services along with 2,696 pharmacies. The number of available clinics has increased by nearly 1,000 compared to last year's Chuseok holiday.
 
People can check the details of hospitals, clinics and pharmacies open during the holiday by calling the emergency control center at 119 or the city and provincial hotline at 120. They can also use the smartphone application “e-gen” or the website https://www.e-gen.or.kr. Naver Map and Kakao Map will also display information on operating hospitals based on users’ locations.
 
The Health Ministry advised ill or injured people to visit local emergency medical centers or clinics in their neighborhood first. Upon diagnosis given by community doctors, patients can be referred to tertiary hospitals. However, patients with breathing problems or numbness in their arms or legs should seek paramedics’ assistance by calling 119 to be admitted into large hospitals swiftly.
 
The ministry and local government will run an emergency medical situation room to prevent hospital staffing voids. 

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [[email protected]]
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