The South Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare is set to introduce stringent criteria for staffing in regional emergency medical centers in an effort to enhance the capacity for accepting severe and emergency patients. As part of an amendment to the emergency medical law, hospitals will be required to have one dedicated emergency room specialist for every 5,000 patients treated annually at regional emergency centers, a more stringent requirement than the previous standard of one specialist for 10,000 patients. Local emergency medical centers will also need to hire one specialist for every 7,000 patients, a new guideline that emphasizes the need for improved patient care in less populated areas.

These amendments aim to ensure that regional and local emergency centers can provide adequate medical services, including essential functions such as intubation, defibrillation, and advanced life support. Additionally, facilities must include various surgical capacities to handle emergency situations promptly. The number of medical specialties eligible to employ emergency room specialists has been expanded from ten to twelve, now including obstetrics and family medicine, reflecting a broader recognition of the diverse needs in emergency care.

To further support the urgency of emergency care, the number of required information management personnel in regional emergency medical centers will increase from two to four, with at least one staff member on-site at all times. The new regulations will also ease restrictions on the use of surgical rooms, allowing general surgical facilities to be utilized for emergencies, and establish minimum requirements for dedicated spaces for emergency admissions and intensive care. This comprehensive overhaul intends to bolster the emergency response system across South Korea, addressing previously identified gaps while improving patient outcomes in critical situations.