[News Today] MORE HOSPITALS OPEN OVER CHUSEOK

[LEAD]
With Korea's biggest holiday Chuseok around the corner, local governments nationwide are setting up emergency plans to avert a healthcare crisis.
In Seoul, more clinics and pharmacies will stay open during the holiday than last Lunar New Year holiday, making the emergency medical system is operational.

[REPORT]
The city of Seoul discussed emergency medical service plans with the Seoul Medical Association and other healthcare providers as the nation heads into the long Chuseok holiday amid the prolonged doctors' strike.

The key plan is to encourage patients with mild symptoms to visit nearby clinics and smaller hospitals before going to emergency rooms.

The city government of Seoul designated some 12,000 medical institutions, which include roughly 5,900 hospitals and 6,500 pharmacies, to stay open during the long holiday weekend.

A daily average of about 2,500 hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in the city will open during the holiday, about twice as many medical institutions did during the Seol holiday.

Oh Se-hoon/ Seoul Mayor
Health centers in 25 districts will each operate an emergency treatment team for mild cases and all public clinics will operate normally on the day of Chuseok.

Emergency medical institutions and ERs at general hospitals in Seoul will stay open around the clock as usual.

Also, children's hospitals will operate 24 hours a day to prevent young patients from being turned away at emergency rooms.

Even though they oppose the med school quota hike, the Seoul Medical Association promised to fully cooperate in receiving patients during the holiday.

Hwang Gyu-seok/ Chair, Seoul Medical Association
ERs should be left available for serious cases. Please follow doctors' instructions.

The city of Busan also increased the number of hospitals that stay open during the holiday by 1.4 times more than during the last Seol holiday, and the Gwangju city government decided to operate public hospitals for children even during late night hours throughout the holiday weekend.