Emergency rooms had been constantly exposed to the threat of violence, mainly caused by intoxicated individuals. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Jan. 8 (Korea Bizwire) — Starting later this year, emergency rooms in all hospitals will be equipped with stronger security.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Tuesday that starting on July 1, new legislation will come into effect that will oblige all emergency rooms to increase their security.
In effect, all emergency rooms will be staffed with 24-hour security agents, equipped with a hotline communication system that connects directly to the police as well as video surveillance feeds.
Emergency rooms had been constantly exposed to the threat of violence, mainly caused by intoxicated individuals. They had been notorious for obstructing emergency treatment and threatening the safety of all patients.
The government reported that there were 3,528 cases of obstruction between 2015 and June 2019. As of 2018, cases of assault has almost tripled since 2015.
An increasing number of medical staff at emergency rooms are also being exposed to the risk of violence.
Roughly two thirds of all intoxicated individuals at emergency rooms were found to be involved in obstructing emergency treatment.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
