Legislation aimed at reforming the emergency medical system to address the issue of 'emergency room bouncing' was passed by the National Assembly on October 1. The Assembly held a session that afternoon to vote on the 'Partial Amendment to the Emergency Medical Act.'
The key points of the amendment include 'strengthening patient transfer control' and 'reducing criminal liability for emergency medical care.' It allows the central emergency medical control room and the 119 emergency management center to directly designate receiving medical institutions if a suitable facility for transferring critically ill patients is not quickly determined.
Previously, ambulance operators considered the patient's condition and regional transfer systems when making transport decisions. In recent years, the refusal of medical institutions to accept critically ill patients has led to the phenomenon known as 'emergency room bouncing,' where patients are unable to receive appropriate treatment, becoming a social issue.
The amendment stipulates that emergency medical institutions must notify the central emergency medical control room if they are unable to accept patients. Additionally, refusal to accept patients will only be recognized as valid if any one of the emergency medical resources—facilities, equipment, or personnel—is fully operational and unable to provide appropriate care for emergency patients.
Furthermore, the amendment lowers the burden of criminal liability for emergency medical care. Previously, if an emergency medical worker's actions resulted in a patient's death, the reduction of criminal penalties was discretionary. The amendment changes this to a mandatory provision, stating that penalties will be waived under certain conditions. In other words, it shifts from 'may be exempted' to 'shall be exempted.'
As a result, emergency medical personnel at hospitals that accept critically ill patients will be exempt from criminal responsibility if their medical actions were unavoidable and there was no gross negligence.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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