When an elderly woman in her 80s showed symptoms of eye bleeding at night, a vulnerable time for hospital treatment, the fire authorities activated the so-called Incheon-style responsible emergency medical system, in which the fire department and hospitals take joint responsibility for transport and treatment, allowing her to successfully undergo surgery.
Patient A, a woman in her 80s residing at a nursing home in the Geomdan area of Incheon, called 119 at around 7:00 p.m. yesterday (November 2) after bleeding from her left eye would not stop.
The 119 rescue workers dispatched to the scene checked the patient's condition and searched for a medical institution capable of providing appropriate treatment, but no ophthalmology hospitals were found operating due to the nighttime hours.
In response, the Incheon Fire Headquarters activated the responsible emergency medical system and promptly consulted with Naeun Hospital, a partnered medical institution. With the hospital expressing its active willingness to accept the patient, Patient A was safely transported.
Patient A underwent emergency surgery at around 10:00 p.m. that same day and is currently receiving treatment in the exclusive emergency intensive care unit.
Previously, the Incheon Fire Headquarters signed business agreements to establish a responsible emergency medical system with 10 medical institutions in the Incheon region, systematically minimizing the so-called "emergency room hop" phenomenon where patients are bounced between hospitals.
The Incheon Fire Headquarters emphasized, "Emergency situations do not discriminate based on medical departments or the time of occurrence. A meticulous medical system is necessary to ensure that emergency patients from various fields, not just critical and essential care, receive timely treatment."
(Reported by Son Hyeong-an | Video by Lee Yu-jin | Design by Yang Hye-min | Produced by SBS Digital News)
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