ULSAN — Ulsan Metropolitan City is activating an emergency care system to minimize gaps in medical services and protect residents during the Chuseok holiday.
Ulsan and its five districts and county said on the 16th that they will set up an emergency care network centered on emergency medical institutions, on-call hospitals and clinics, and pharmacies for four days from Sept. 24 to 27, the Chuseok holiday period.
To prepare for critically ill emergency patients during the holiday, a total of 12 facilities — seven emergency medical institutions and five emergency medical facilities in the city — will maintain round-the-clock emergency care as usual. Ulsan will keep an emergency communication system in place and assign a dedicated officer to each emergency medical institution on a one-to-one basis to closely manage on-site operations.
A care safety net for patients with mild symptoms and pediatric patients will also be in place. During the holiday, 100 hospitals and clinics and 128 pharmacies will open on designated dates to reduce treatment gaps and difficulties in buying medicines.
For pediatric patients, three Moonlight Children's Hospitals will offer outpatient care, and five public late-night pharmacies will operate to dispense medicines at night. Among the Moonlight Children's Hospitals, Ulsan City Hospital will operate normally throughout the holiday. Boram Hospital and Haetsal Children's Hospital will be closed for one day on Sept. 25.
Public health centers in the districts will also provide care on a rotating basis. The Dong-gu Public Health Center will offer general treatment from Sept. 24 to 25 and the Buk-gu Public Health Center on Sept. 26, each from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., to improve access to care for patients with mild symptoms.
An emergency care situation room set up by the city and the districts will check in real time which hospitals, clinics and pharmacies are open and handle inquiries from residents. Information on hospitals, clinics and pharmacies open during the holiday is available through the emergency medical portal, the websites of Ulsan and its five districts and county, the "Eunggeup Ttokttok" (emergency care information) app, the 119 Emergency Medical Information Center, the 120 Ulsan Call Center and the Health and Welfare Counseling Center (129).
An Ulsan city official said, "We will work to reduce medical service gaps and inconvenience for residents during the Chuseok holiday so that everyone can spend a safe and comfortable holiday," adding, "If you plan to visit a medical institution or pharmacy, please be sure to check in advance whether it is open."
