Hospital short-staffing has tragic results as patients die after being turned away

A woman in her 60s died after being denied an emergency transfer from a secondary hospital to a tertiary care center in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, according to her family.

Ambulances are seen in front of emergency room at a general hospital in Seoul in last August. [YONHAP]

A woman in her 60s died after being denied an emergency transfer from a secondary hospital to a tertiary care center in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, according to her family.

The woman had been hospitalized on April 21 at a local hospital in Jinhae District, Changwon, after suffering a leg fracture. Doctors prescribed an eight-week cast. On April 23, she developed a high fever, followed by shortness of breath on April 25. By the morning of April 26, her oxygen saturation had dropped significantly, and she was placed on a respirator.

Deeming her condition critical, hospital staff sought to transfer her to a higher-level medical facility. They contacted five tertiary hospitals in Changwon, but all reportedly declined, citing reasons such as “no available pulmonologist” or “no room in the emergency ward.”

“It was a Saturday morning during normal operating hours, but the hospitals still refused to accept her, saying there were no doctors available,” said her daughter, surnamed Kim. “There was nothing our family could do while top hospitals kept turning us away.”

In a last-ditch effort, Kim called emergency services directly on the night of April 27, but was again denied assistance. Paramedics explained that without a receiving hospital's approval, they could not proceed with a transfer.

Doctors walk inside a general hospital in Seoul on Feb. 8, 2024, two days after the government announced its plan to add 2,000 new seats in medical schools' admissions. [YONHAP]

The woman died at 1:35 a.m. on April 28. Her cause of death was listed as sepsis by the attending hospital. “My mother had been critically ill since the morning of the 26th, but the secondary hospital was out of options,” Kim said tearfully. “We spent two days helplessly watching her fade away.”

After holding a funeral, the family filed a report with the Changwon City health center on May 1, requesting an investigation into the failed transfer. According to the center, the tertiary hospitals explained that they lacked available pulmonologists at the time.

However, the city’s health authorities said they had no regulatory power over the hospitals that refused the transfer. Only one hospital, where the reasoning behind the refusal was deemed unclear, received a warning.

“One of the guests at my mother’s funeral shared a similar story of being denied emergency care and losing a loved one,” Kim said. “I hope the government recognizes the seriousness of this medical void caused by the fallout from the doctors’ strike and comes up with a solution.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff. BY LEE EUN-JI [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]