The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA), a group of resident doctors, said the recent case in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, in which a fetus died after the mother could not receive an emergency delivery, was "the result of the collapse of the long-neglected high-risk delivery and neonatal medical system."
The Korean Intern Resident Association (KIRA) said in a statement on the 5th, "It was a situation that required an emergency delivery due to a drop in fetal heart rate, but medical institutions in North Chungcheong could not accept it," adding, "We offer our condolences."
KIRA pointed to the collapse of the regional medical system as the backdrop for this case. Since 2024, the North Chungcheong region has effectively had only one hospital operating a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), and that institution, too, was structurally constrained in providing emergency responses at night and on holidays, it said. KIRA criticized that "warnings from the field have been raised for a long time but no improvements were made."
KIRA urged the government and the National Assembly to address the structural problems of the medical system. The medical community has repeatedly noted that multiple factors are at play, including a structure that concentrates liability on medical staff when medical accidents occur, a decline in personnel due to avoidance of obstetrics and neonatology, and a reimbursement system that causes losses for medical institutions when treating severe patients.
KIRA said, "Although massive resources have been poured into addressing low birthrates, support for the infrastructure and personnel in charge of high-risk mothers and newborns has been insufficient," adding, "The fact that this crisis could not be prevented despite the presence of a regional maternal and child health center proves this."
It added, "For high-risk delivery and neonatal care, it is necessary to establish a legal safety net based on national responsibility and introduce protective measures such as a no-fault compensation fund." It further suggested, "Beyond operation at the city and provincial level, the system should be reorganized into a wide-area hub-centered network that reflects delivery volume and severity, and personnel and functions should be concentrated at existing hub institutions."
It also emphasized, "The state must play a more active role in expanding obstetrics and neonatology specialists and cultivating personnel," and "It is necessary to create an environment in which medical staff can provide care stably."
KIRA said, "This incident is a tragedy that occurred because years of repeated warnings from the field were not reflected in policy," adding, "We will actively participate in the legislative and system improvement process."
According to health and fire authorities, at 11:03 p.m. on the 1st, a 119 call reported that the fetal heart rate of a woman in her 30s who was 29 weeks pregnant and hospitalized at an obstetrics and gynecology clinic in Cheongju, North Chungcheong, had dropped. The clinic sought transfers to hospitals in North Chungcheong, South Chungcheong, Daejeon and Sejong, but it reportedly received responses that acceptance was difficult due to reasons including the absence of specialists.
After inquiring with hospitals in other regions, the mother was transported by helicopter to Dong-A University Hospital in Busan in about 3 hours and 30 minutes, but the fetus died. The mother underwent emergency surgery and is currently being treated at the hospital, according to reports.