Medical workers monitor intensive care units at Misodle Hospital in Guro, southwestern Seoul, on Dec. 13, 2021, amid worries over the spread of the omicron variant. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Korea Bizwire) — The government plans to differentiate the level of compensation it pays to medical institutions taking care of COVID-19 patients depending on the length of the patient’s stay.
The Central Disaster Management Headquarters, which operates under the umbrella of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, recently held a compensation deliberation committee meeting to resolve this issue.
Previously, when hospital beds were used exclusively for the treatment of severe COVID-19 patients, the government provided hospitals with compensation equivalent to ten times the unit price of general beds regardless of how long the patients were admitted for.
From now on, however, the government will offer higher compensation in the initial days of their hospital stays while reducing compensation in the later days.
In more detail, compensation equivalent to 14 times the unit price of general beds will be offered in the first five days of a hospital stay, followed by 10 times from sixth day to 10th day, six times from the 11th day, and no compensation after the 20th day.
This measure will be implemented temporarily until the shortage of beds for critically ill COVID-19 patients is addressed.
Patients will be able to be hospitalized in intensive care units for up to 20 days after symptoms appear and will be released from quarantine thereafter.
They have to be discharged from COVID-19 wards and move to general wards when hospitalization is needed to treat patients with other illnesses.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
