Photo : YONHAP News
Amid a prolonged medical vacuum over disputes in healthcare reform, there has been a 22-percent on-year jump in cases where ambulances took over an hour to transport patients to emergency care.
According to the fire service data released by the office of main opposition Democratic Party(DP) Rep. Chai Hyun-il on Saturday, there were 13-thousand-940 cases of patient transportation taking over an hour between March and August, following trainee doctors’ collective walkout in February.
The latest tally is 22 percent higher than the eleven-thousand-426 cases reported a year ago.
Such delays in transporting patients to hospitals were more prevalent in major cities and provinces, with the number expanding two-point-eight times in Daejeon, one-point-eight times in Seoul, and one-point-seven times in Busan.
The travel distance of ambulances also increased during the six-month period, with cases involving 30 kilometers or more rising two-point-six times on-year in Daejeon, two-point-two times in Seoul, and one-point-75 times in Daegu.