An unprecedented situation in patient care… ‘Big 5’ Seoul large hospitals likely to close entirely

There is a growing possibility that Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital, Asan Medical Center, and Samsung Seoul Hospital, known as the ‘big five’ domestic general hospitals, will all begin a full closure once a week.

According to the medical community on the 24th, the Emergency Response Committee of the Faculty Council of Seoul National University Hospital and Ulsan Medical University, which has Seoul National University Hospital and Asan Medical Center as teaching hospitals, has already confirmed the date of closure, and the remaining medical school professors are also considering closure.

There are five medical schools that have ‘Big Five’ hospitals as teaching hospitals: Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Catholic University, Ulsan University, and Sungkyunkwan University.

Excluding Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, four medical schools are participating in the National Medical University Faculty Emergency Response Committee (Jeon Medical University), which decided at a general meeting the previous day to close one day of next week in accordance with the situation of each hospital.

Professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine will stop treating general patients, excluding emergency, serious, and hospitalized patients, at Seoul National University Hospital for one day on the 30th of this month. Ulsan Medical School professors at Asan Medical Center in Seoul and elsewhere have decided to take a break once a week from the 3rd of next month.

Professors at Seoul National University College of Medicine decided to discuss again whether to continue periodic suspension of treatment, including a break once a week.

Yonsei University School of Medicine, Catholic University School of Medicine, and Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine are also known to be considering taking a leave of absence, believing that professors have reached their mental and physical limits.

The emergency committee of the Yonsei University College of Medicine’s Faculty Association decided to hold a faculty meeting this afternoon to discuss the current situation, including matters decided at the conference, such as temporary closure.

An official from the emergency committee of the Sungkyunkwan University Medical School Faculty Association said, “We are discussing internally whether or not to suspend classes,” and added, “No decision has been made yet.”

If professors at Sungkyunkwan University Medical School, as well as the four medical schools participating in the medical expenses fund, join in the suspension, there is a possibility that all five major large hospitals in Seoul will stop providing treatment for one day a week. However, treatment for emergency, serious, and hospitalized patients will remain the same.