Korea faces medical system crisis amid fourth wave of infections

By Bahk Eun-ji

Concerns are mounting over a possible shortage of beds in hospital intensive care units (ICU) and at treatment centers, as the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic here shows no signs of abating.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, 272, or 33.6 percent, of the 810 hospital beds for critically ill patients across the country were available as of 5 p.m., Monday.

There are 18,053 beds in 79 treatment centers for patients with mild symptoms, and 6,829 beds were available, but some regions have been facing shortages.

Seventeen of 18 ICU beds in South Chungcheong Province are already in use, leaving just one available. Daejeon also has only two of its 14 ICU beds left.

Among 431 beds allocated to semi-critical patients, just 154 or 35.7 percent remain. These are patients who are unlikely to improve from their current status, or whose condition is highly likely to worsen.

The number of beds for such patients is also reaching its limit in some areas. There are no beds available for hospitalization in North Gyeongsang, South Gyeongsang and North Jeolla provinces, while there is only one such bed out of 23 left in Incheon.

The health authorities said they were pushing for the designation of more beds for critically ill and semi-critical patients as the country's daily new cases continue to rise rapidly.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), 1,373 COVID-19 cases, including 1,323 local infections, were reported, Monday. The daily infections fell slightly, mainly due to less testing being conducted over the three-day holiday. Six deaths were reported, raising the toll to 2,173.

With the reporting of bed shortages, the death of a woman in her 50s at a treatment center also raised fears of a possible collapse of the medical system.

The 58-year-old woman, who was diagnosed with COVID-19, was admitted to a treatment center in Incheon Aug. 1. According to a medical report from the center, the woman was diagnosed with pneumonia Aug. 5, four days after entering the facility. At that time, her body temperature rose to 39 degrees Celsius, but medical staff decided to observe her symptoms as her pneumonia did not appear serious based on her X-rays.

However, the woman was found dead in her room at the center Aug. 9. A man, who identified himself as the woman's son, filed a petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website, calling for an investigation into the exact cause of his mother's death.

“It is so unjust that a normal healthy person without any chronic disease, died without being treated at a treatment center as she couldn't even go to the hospital,” he said.

“There were two patients housed in a small room in the center, without medical equipment installed. The medical workers were managing the patient only by phone.”

The petitioner then wrote that only antibiotics and fever reducers were used and only one doctor was on duty managing hundreds of patients there.

In the Ministry of Health and Welfare's guidelines for treatment centers, seven to 11 doctors and nine to 16 nurses are recommended to be assigned for 200 to 300 patients.

However, 16 medical staff, including one doctor, one radiologist, and 14 nurses, worked in shifts at the treatment center.

On Aug.9, when the woman died, there were 222 patients in the center, with only two nurses and no doctors on site.