Paramedics transport a patient to the emergency room at a hospital in western Seoul.KIM JONG-HO
An average of about 8,300 hospitals, clinics and pharmacies will remain open each day during the Chuseok holiday, while the government urges people with mild symptoms to seek treatment at local medical facilities rather than emergency rooms.
An emergency medical system will be maintained over the holiday, from Thursday through Sunday, with designated hospitals, clinics and pharmacies to remain open to ensure access to medical care, according to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Monday.
An average of 8,294 medical facilities, public health centers and pharmacies will open each day despite the holiday. The number will be highest on Thursday, the first day of the holiday, at 11,781, and lowest on Friday, Chuseok Day, at 5,231.
A total of 416 emergency medical institutions, including regional emergency medical centers and local emergency facilities, will continue operating 24 hours a day.
The ministry will also strengthen coordination among medical institutions for specific conditions and operate emergency medical monitoring and response systems throughout the holiday.
A total of 17 regional trauma centers nationwide will maintain emergency treatment systems for specialized trauma cases. Twenty-nine regional and local cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease centers will provide 24-hour treatment and maintain coordination with other medical institutions and specialists.
A dedicated maternal and neonatal transfer team at the maternal and child health center under the National Medical Center will support the rapid transfer and transportation of pregnant women and newborns nationwide.
A patient is transferred from an ambulance to the emergency medical center at a major hospital in Seoul on May 3, 2024.YONHAP
People who develop mild symptoms during the Chuseok holiday are advised to visit a local hospital or clinic first rather than going directly to an emergency room. If a serious condition is suspected after an examination, patients can be quickly transferred to a higher-level medical institution based on the medical staff’s assessment.
“We ask people with less severe symptoms to first visit a nearby local hospital or clinic so that emergency room staff can focus on treating critically ill emergency patients,” Lee Jung-gyu, director-general for public health care policy at the Health Ministry, said.
People experiencing serious symptoms commonly associated with severe conditions, however, should immediately call 119. Such symptoms include difficulty breathing, sudden numbness in the arms or legs or difficulty speaking due to numbness of the tongue.
People can receive medical advice through 119 and be taken to an appropriate emergency medical institution based on an assessment of the severity of their condition by paramedics.
Information on hospitals, clinics and pharmacies that remain open during the holiday will be available through the “Eunggeup Ttokttok” and “Emergency Medical Information” apps, the National Emergency Medical Center’s E-Gen website and local government websites.
Eunggeup Ttokttok is an app run by the Health Ministry that recommends whether users should visit an emergency room or a local hospital or clinic based on the symptoms they enter.
Regional governments will also provide information on open medical facilities through emergency text alerts and captions on disaster broadcasts.
Information will also be available by phone through the Health Ministry’s 129 call center and regional government call centers by dialing 120.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
