25.11.18.Today News : Busan High School Student Dies After 1-Hour 'ER Vicious Circle'... 8 Hospitals Refuse Transfer

Busan High School Student Dies After 1-Hour 'ER Vicious Circle'... 8 Hospitals Refuse Transfer

📍Unbelievable reality of the medical gap in urban Busan; 8 major hospitals refused transfer citing 'unavailability of pediatric care'.

A tragic incident has unfolded in Busan, where a high school student who suddenly collapsed with convulsions died after being refused admission by eight major hospitals for approximately one hour while aboard a 119 ambulance. The tragedy, caused by the collapse of the emergency transfer system and the lack of specialized pediatric care, reveals that even the most basic medical safety net failed to function.

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🔹 Initial Status: The Start of the Golden Hour and Transfer Attempts
Around 6:17 AM on October 20, a student named B from High School A in Busan was reported to have collapsed with sudden convulsive symptoms. The ambulance arrived 16 minutes after the report and confirmed that although B's consciousness was blurry, he was still responsive to questions. The crew immediately attempted to transfer the student to a nearby major hospital. This marked the beginning of the crucial 'golden hour' for saving his life.

🔹 Hospital Blockade: 8 Centers Deny Transfer, Citing Back-up Care Issue
The ambulance crew contacted four major hospitals in the Busan area but were all refused admission. These hospitals mainly cited difficulties with providing "back-up care" (specialized post-emergency treatment) related to pediatric neurology. The crew urgently requested assistance from the Emergency Command and Control Center under the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters. The Center expanded its search, contacting a total of eight medical institutions, but the result was the same—all refused the transfer. The situation became so dire that the Center even inquired about hospitals in the Changwon area of Gyeongnam Province.

🔹 Deterioration to Cardiac Arrest After 1-Hour Delay
As nearly one hour passed with the student still inside the ambulance, B's condition rapidly worsened, ultimately leading to cardiac arrest. According to regulations mandating nearby hospitals to accept patients in cardiac arrest, the ambulance finally headed to the nearest hospital around 7:30 AM. Although the travel time was only five minutes, B was beyond resuscitation and passed away. The fire department pointed to the cause of the tragedy, explaining that "the pediatric back-up care system was not functioning at the hospital sites." This incident starkly reveals the reality that pediatric patients needing specialized care in an emergency cannot even enter the doors of major hospitals, underscoring the urgent need for government action.

One-line summary : A high school student suffering convulsions in Busan died after being refused admission by 8 emergency rooms citing 'unavailability of pediatric back-up care' during a one-hour delay, exposing the collapsed emergency medical system.