To use a medical clinic on the presidential election day, June 3rd, it is necessary to confirm in advance whether consultations will be available. Since election day is a legal holiday, many places will be closed. Those that are open will have consultation and prescription fees increased based on holiday rates.
According to reports from various hospitals on the 27th, major university hospitals in Seoul, such as Asan Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Severance Hospital, and public medical institutions like the National Medical Center have decided to close on the presidential election day, the 3rd. However, even hospitals that are closed will operate their emergency treatment centers (emergency rooms) as usual.
In the regions, there are several hospitals that will provide morning consultations or operate normally. Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Uijeongbu Eulji University Hospital, Guro Sacred Heart Hospital, and Konyang University Hospital have decided to conduct morning consultations on the presidential election day. The hospital officials noted, "We decided to conduct morning consultations to prevent inconvenience for patients who have already made appointments if we were to close."
Sejong Chungnam National University Hospital announced that it will operate normal outpatient services from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on that day. The hospital explained, "Considering that June 6th is Memorial Day and a holiday follows, we took this measure to reduce the healthcare gap in the community caused by decreased access to medical services and to minimize inconvenience for scheduled patients."
Presidential election day is a legal holiday. Pharmacies and medical clinics working that day will apply a 'Saturday, night, and holiday surcharge system' adding 30% to the basic fees for prescriptions and consultations. Accordingly, they will be able to charge 30% more for basic consultation fees and 50% more for emergency room treatment fees. Medical institutions must pay their employees 1.5 times the normal hourly wage as holiday work pay for those working on holiday consultations.
Leading up to the election day and June 6th Memorial Day, pharmacies are busy placing orders for pharmaceuticals. This is due to the potential delays in pharmaceutical deliveries caused by the holiday impact. There have been reports of pharmacies struggling during the May holiday period due to backup in deliveries. Some delivery companies will be closed or only provide morning deliveries on the 3rd, necessitating individual confirmations.