Severance Hospital Begins Full Operations as Regional Emergency Medical Center for Northwestern Seoul

Designated for three years through October 2029
Serving as a regional hub for definitive care of critically ill emergency patients and disaster medical response

Severance Hospital has been designated as the Regional Emergency Medical Center for northwestern Seoul and will now fully assume its role as a regional hub for treating critically ill emergency patients and responding to medical emergencies in disasters.

Severance Hospital held an opening ceremony for its Regional Emergency Medical Center on the 2nd, beginning full-scale operations as a major hub for severe emergency care in northwestern Seoul. Severance Hospital

Severance Hospital said on November 3 that it held an opening ceremony for the Regional Emergency Medical Center on November 2 and began operations. The hospital was newly designated as the Regional Emergency Medical Center for northwestern Seoul following the Ministry of Health and Welfare's re-designation assessment for emergency medical institutions. The designation is valid for three years, through October 31, 2029.

Severance Hospital received high marks in this assessment for its record of treating critically ill emergency patients. In particular, it was rated highly for its capacity to provide definitive care, including the surgeries and procedures needed by patients visiting the emergency room; its share of transferred patients accepted from 119 emergency medical services and other medical institutions; and its record of stabilizing critically ill pediatric patients.

Regional Emergency Medical Centers are key medical institutions responsible for specialized treatment of critically ill emergency patients in their regions and for responding to medical emergencies in disasters. They provide continuous care for patients requiring rapid treatment for conditions such as cardiac arrest, acute myocardial infarction, and stroke, from initial emergency care through surgery or procedures, hospitalization, and intensive care. They also provide definitive care for critically ill and complex emergency patients transferred from local medical institutions.

With this designation, Severance Hospital plans to strengthen coordination in the care of critically ill emergency patients. It will expand cooperation among its departments so that patients needing urgent specialized treatment for conditions such as cardiac arrest, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, severe infections, and respiratory failure can quickly proceed from initial emergency room care to specialized procedures or surgery and intensive care.

The hospital will also strengthen patient transport and transfer systems connecting 119 emergency medical services with local medical institutions. It plans to share information on care, including the availability of beds in the emergency care center and intensive care units, and support appropriate transport and transfers based on each patient's severity and treatment needs.

In the event of a major disaster or an incident involving multiple casualties, the hospital will activate its response system, led by its Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT), in cooperation with fire services, police, and health authorities. The system will cover everything from emergency care at the scene and patient transport to treatment at the hospital. The hospital also plans to expand training, exercises, and information-sharing with local emergency medical institutions and 119 emergency medical services.

Park Yuseok, director of the Emergency Care Center at Severance Hospital, said, "This designation as a Regional Emergency Medical Center is significant because it means we have taken on greater responsibility for emergency care in northwestern Seoul, building on the capabilities we have developed in treating critically ill emergency patients." He added, "We will do our utmost to ensure that critically ill emergency patients receive definitive care in a timely manner by strengthening a care system that enables them to move quickly from initial emergency treatment to surgery or procedures and intensive care."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.