Emergency medical services face growing strain 응급의료 서비스 부담증가

[김우정]

추석을 앞두고 의료인력부족으로 인한 응급의료서비스에 대한 불안이 커지고 있습니다.
정부는 지난 7월 7,648명의 전공의를 사직처리하면서 의료사태는 극단을 향하고 있습니다.
의사들이 가장 문제시하는 것은 의대정원문제인 것 같습니다.
이사태의 희생자는 국민임을 감안하여 정부는 의대정원문제를 의사들과 상의해야하지 않을까요? 
 
Emergency medical services face growing strain
응급의료 서비스 부담증가

By Jung Min-ho, Jung Da-hyun 정민호, 정다현 기자
Posted : 2024-09-05 16:50 Updated : 2024-09-06 07:56
Korea Times

A medical worker walks out of an emergency room at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Many hospitals have curtailed their emergency services amid continuing shortages of physicians following a collective walkout by trainee doctors in February. Newsis 목요일 경기도 수원 아주대학교병원 응급실에서 의료진이 걸어 나오고 있다. 지난 2월 수련의들의 집단 파업으로 의사 인력이 계속 부족한 가운데 많은 병원이 응급 서비스를 축소했다. 뉴시스

More patients turned away or asked to wait as hospitals curtail ER operations
병원이 응급실운영을 축소함에 따라 더 많은 환자에게 진료를 거부하거나 대기를 요청

At around 8:10 p.m. on Wednesday, an ambulance was parked just outside the emergency room of Gangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul. A woman inside the ambulance was waiting for other patients to be discharged so she could secure a bed for treatment.
수요일 오후 8시 10분경 서울 강북삼성병원 응급실 바로 바깥에 구급차가 주차되어 있었다. 구급차 안에 있던 한 여성은 치료를 위한 침대를 확보하기 위해 다른 환자들이 퇴원하기를 기다리고 있었다.

“It has been more than an hour since we started waiting,” an emergency medical technician who transported her from Cheongju, about 120 km south of the capital, told The Korea Times. “When I received the call, I knew that hospitals near Cheongju wouldn’t accept my patient due to her condition and the current limitations on daylight operations. So I came straight here, as this hospital seemed to offer the best chance for emergency services.”
수도에서 남쪽으로 약 120km 떨어진 청주에서 환자를 이송한 응급 의료 기술자는 코리아 타임즈와의 인터뷰에서 "대기를 시작한 지 한 시간이 넘었다."라고 말했다. "전화를 받았을 때 청주 인근 병원에서 환자의 상태와 현재 낮 영업 제한으로 인해 환자를 받지 않는다는 것을 알았다. 그래서 이 병원이 응급 서비스를 위한 최고의 기회를 제공하는 것 같아서 바로 이곳으로 왔다."

The general hospital had only one doctor available in the emergency room that evening.
그 종합병원은 그날 저녁 응급실에 의사 한 명만 있었다.

At Hanyang University Medical Center, another general hospital in eastern Seoul, a patient surnamed Cho was advised by emergency medical workers to return in the morning when she visited to seek treatment for burns on her left hand and arm.
서울 동부의 또 다른 종합병원인 한양대학교의료원에서는 조모 환자가 왼손과 팔에 화상을 입어 치료를 받기 위해 방문했을 때 응급 의료진으로부터 아침에 오라는 권고를 받았다.

“They said there was nothing they could do now, offering to just cover the area with a piece of gauze over the risk of tetanus,” she said.
"파상풍의 위험에 대해 거즈 조각으로 그 부위를 덮겠다고 제안하면서 지금은 할 수 있는 일이 없다고 말했다,"라고 그녀는 말했다.

Since more than 10,000 trainee doctors across the country went on strike in February to protest the government’s decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas, hospitals nationwide have reduced their emergency services due to a shortage of physicians.
지난 2월 정부의 의과대학 등록 정원 확대 결정에 항의하기 위해 전국 1만 명 이상의 수련의들이 파업에 돌입한 이후, 전국 병원들은 의사 인력 부족으로 응급 서비스를 축소했다.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has repeatedly stated that disruptions from the collective protest would be manageable. However, observations by The Korea Times indicate that hospitals are experiencing significant pressure.
보건복지부는 집단 시위로 인한 혼란을 감당할 수 있을 것이라고 여러 차례 밝혔습니다. 그러나 코리아 타임즈의 관찰에 따르면 병원들은 상당한 압박을 받고 있다.

A security guard is seen at an emergency room of Gangbuk Samsung Hospital in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Jung Min-ho 수요일 서울 강북삼성병원 응급실에서 경비원이 목격되고 있다. 코리아 타임즈 사진 정민호

Hospitals designated by authorities to handle emergency cases during night hours, such as Gangbuk Samsung Hospital and Hanyang University Medical Center, continue to accept patients. However, compared to the situation before the protest, patients are now more likely to be advised to visit other hospitals or wait for a bed. This is due to factors such as less severe injuries or the inability of understaffed hospitals to provide prompt care, according to patients.
강북삼성병원, 한양대학교의료원 등 당국이 야간 응급상황을 처리하도록 지정한 병원들은 계속해서 환자를 수용하고 있다. 그러나 시위 이전 상황과 비교했을 때 이제 환자들은 다른 병원을 방문하거나 병상을 기다리라는 권고를 받을 가능성이 높아졌다. 이는 부상 정도가 덜 심하거나 인력이 부족한 병원이 신속한 치료를 제공하지 못하는 등의 요인 때문이라고 환자들은 말한다.

So far, four hospitals — Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital in Seoul, Konkuk University Chungju Hospital, Chungnam National University Hospital in Sejong, and Kangwon National University Hospital in Chuncheon — have decided to shorten their emergency room hours due to staff shortages. Approximately 20 other hospitals are also facing mounting pressure to do the same.
지금까지 서울의 이대목동병원, 건국대충주병원, 세종의 충남대병원, 춘천의 강원대병원 등 4개 병원이 직원 부족으로 응급실 근무 시간을 단축하기로 결정했다. 약 20개 병원도 같은 조치를 취하라는 압박에 직면해 있다.

With no signs of the trainee doctors returning anytime soon, concerns are growing about a potential crisis leading up to the weeklong Chuseok holiday, when hospitals will operate with even fewer staff than usual.
수련의들이 조만간 복귀할 기미가 보이지 않는 가운데, 평소보다 훨씬 적은 인력으로 병원을 운영하는 이번 주 추석 연휴까지 이어질 수 있는 위기에 대한 우려가 커지고 있다.

Recognizing the public's concerns, President Yoon Suk Yeol visited an emergency room at a hospital in Gyeonggi Province on Wednesday night to support and encourage the medical staff.
국민의 우려를 인식한 윤석열 대통령은 수요일 밤 경기도의 한 병원 응급실을 찾아 의료진을 응원하고 격려했다.

That same night, Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the opposition Democratic Party of Korea, also visited Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul, where he criticized the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas, calling it too rushed and unilateral.
같은 날 밤 야당인 더불어민주당 이재명 대표도 서울 고려대 안암병원을 방문해 정부의 의대 입학정원 증원 결정이 너무 서두르고 일방적이라며 비판했다.

To support hospitals struggling with emergency care, the government has decided to deploy approximately 250 doctors from the military and public health facilities.
응급치료로 어려움을 겪고 있는 병원을 지원하기 위해 정부는 군 및 공중 보건 시설에 약 250명의 의사를 배치하기로 결정했다.

In response to concerns about hospital operations during the upcoming holiday, beginning on Sept. 14, the government will work with local officials to establish monitoring centers. These centers will oversee the situation and appoint an official-in-charge for each emergency facility.
9월 14일부터 시작되는 다가오는 연휴 기간 동안 병원 운영에 대한 우려에 따라 정부는 지역 공무원과 협력하여 모니터링 센터를 설립할 예정이다. 이 센터들은 상황을 감독하고 각 응급 시설에 대해 공식 책임자를 임명할 예정이다.

Health ministry officials noted that staff shortages in emergency services have been a problem long before the junior doctors' protest. Addressing these issues is a key component of the medical reform efforts they have been promoting over the past seven months.
보건부 관리들은 응급 서비스 인력부족이 후배 의사들의 시위 이전부터 문제가 되어 왔다고 지적했다. 이러한 문제를 해결하는 것은 지난 7개월 동안 이들이 추진해 온 의료 개혁 노력의 핵심 요소이다.

"Fundamentally improving this system is one of the reasons for the government to push for medical reforms,” Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said during Thursday’s meeting of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters. “The government will make every effort to address the difficulties related to emergency care, working closely with local governments and medical institutions to ensure that the public does not face undue anxiety.”
박민수 보건복지부 제2차관은 목요일 중앙재난안전대책본부 회의에서 "이 제도를 근본적으로 개선하는 것이 정부가 의료개혁을 추진해야 하는 이유 중 하나,"라며 "정부는 응급의료와 관련된 어려움을 해소하기 위해 모든 노력을 기울여 국민이 과도한 불안에 직면하지 않도록 지방자치단체 및 의료기관과 긴밀히 협력할 것."이라고 말했다.

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