A woman in her 70s died as the admission of an emergency patient was delayed amid a computer system failure at Jeju National University Hospital, prompting health authorities to launch an investigation into the circumstances.
According to Jeju National University Hospital and the Jeju Fire Safety Headquarters on the 1st, at about 7:11 p.m. on the 27th, a report was filed to 119 from Ido-dong in Jeju City that a woman A, in her 70s, was showing symptoms of abdominal pain and general weakness.
While transporting A to Jeju National University Hospital, where she usually received care, the paramedics relayed the patient's information and the fact of the transport to the hospital through the "119 Emergency Smart System."
However, when no reply from the hospital was confirmed in the system, the paramedics called again to ask whether the hospital could accept the patient. Jeju National University Hospital, which confirmed the call at about 7:33 p.m., reportedly replied that it was difficult to accept the patient due to a computer system failure.
While coordinating transport to another hospital, A went into cardiac arrest at about 7:36 p.m., and the paramedics performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and moved her to a nearby hospital. A received treatment but ultimately died.
The computer failure at Jeju National University Hospital reportedly occurred at about 7:30 p.m. that day and was restored in about an hour. The hospital has not yet identified the exact cause of the failure.
The hospital said that, due to the system failure at the time, it was difficult to carry out basic treatment procedures such as patient registration, blood tests, and medical history inquiries. It explained that it decided to transfer the patient to another medical institution in accordance with its internal manual.
The Jeju Emergency Medical Support Group is investigating whether Jeju National University Hospital's decision not to accept the patient at the time was appropriate and whether the emergency medical system functioned properly.