▲ An ambulance transporting a patient to a hospital (File Photo)
The government is launching a pilot program to grant certification marks to high-performing private ambulances.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Emergency Medical Center of the National Medical Center announced today (October 20) that they are accepting applications from companies wishing to participate in the "Emergency Patient Transport Service Quality Certification Pilot Project" from October 21 to 30.
Emergency patient transport services involve transporting emergency patients using ambulances and other vehicles pursuant to the Emergency Medical Service Act.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare explained that the pilot project is being implemented to go beyond merely verifying compliance with statutory standards, comprehensively evaluating service quality, and encouraging companies to improve their services.
Eligible participants are companies that obtained a permit for the emergency patient transport business prior to January 1, 2023, and have been continuously operating up to the application announcement date, provided they meet qualification requirements specified in the announcement, such as administrative disposition history and transport performance records.
Non-profit corporations under relevant laws and regulations may also apply if they meet these requirements.
The certification review will consist of document evaluations and on-site inspections following qualification verification.
The mandatory domain will check compliance with legal standards regarding personnel, facilities, capital, equipment, and records, while the quality domain will evaluate five items: operation, personnel, equipment, infection control, and records.
▲ Emergency Patient Transport Quality Certification Mark
To receive certification, applicants must meet all criteria in the mandatory domain and achieve a score above a certain threshold in the quality domain.
Certified companies will be awarded a certificate and a certification mark, with a validity period of two years from the date of certification.
Applications can be submitted through the Ambulance Record Management System (AiR), and the final results will be announced in December.
Lee Joong-gyu, Director General for Public Healthcare Policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated, "Emergency patient transport service is a vital pillar of the emergency medical system, and it is important to establish an environment where the public can use it with peace of mind," adding, "Based on the results of this project, we will build an institutional foundation to improve the quality of emergency patient transport services."
(Photo provided by Ministry of Health and Welfare, Yonhap News)
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