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Busan Designates Nine Regional Emergency Medical Centers, Advancing a Regionally Self-Sufficient Emergency Medical System

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it has designated nine regional emergency medical centers to operate for three years, from November 1, 2026, to October 31, 2029.

Six existing regional emergency medical centers were redesignated, while three institutions were newly designated. The six redesignated institutions are Kosin University Gospel Hospital, Daedong Hospital, Pusan National University Hospital, BHS Hanseo Hospital, ON Hospital, and Good Samsun Hospital. The three newly designated institutions are Busan Bumin Hospital, Centum General Hospital, and Good Gang-An Hospital.

In accordance with the Emergency Medical Service Act, the latest designation process went beyond the previous focus on whether institutions met designation standards for facilities, equipment, and staffing. Instead, it comprehensively assessed treatment performance for critically ill emergency patients, operational systems by disease group, and future operating plans.

Since July, Busan Metropolitan City has conducted on-site, quantitative, and comprehensive evaluations of nine medical institutions. The on-site evaluations examined whether each institution had the facilities required to treat emergency patients, including dedicated emergency treatment areas and inpatient beds reserved for emergency care; essential equipment such as defibrillators and ventilators; and sufficient physicians and nurses dedicated to emergency patient care. The evaluations also assessed whether institutions met designation standards for functions enabling continuous treatment within emergency departments and for the surgical and procedural capabilities required of medical institutions.

The quantitative evaluations assessed emergency patient acceptance and treatment performance, including the rate at which definitive treatment was provided to critically ill emergency patients, the proportion of critically ill emergency patients accepted, and the rate of direct examination by specialists within an appropriate timeframe.

The comprehensive evaluations reviewed treatment and definitive-care capabilities for 18 disease groups, including cardiac arrest and acute myocardial infarction, as well as 24-hour response systems, transfer and cooperation systems designed to ensure continuity of care from the onset of an emergency through definitive treatment, and the appropriateness of each institution’s future operating plans.

In particular, this evaluation differs from previous assessments in that it did not stop at determining whether institutions met designation standards for facilities, equipment, and staffing. It also comprehensively assessed actual treatment outcomes for critically ill emergency patients, clinical capabilities by disease category, and each institution’s role and level of cooperation within the regional emergency medical system.

Based on the evaluation results, Busan Metropolitan City plans to introduce a Regional Emergency Medical Center Evaluation System to continuously manage the capacity of regional emergency medical centers to treat critically ill emergency patients, while strengthening cooperation and coordination among institutions to improve continuity of emergency care.

In particular, newly designated institutions will be reassessed one year after designation to determine whether they have implemented their operating plans and to review their definitive treatment performance for critically ill emergency patients. If an institution fails to meet the originally required level of clinical capability and operational standards, the City will actively consider necessary measures, including revocation of its designation.

The City will also conduct regular inspections of all emergency medical centers in the first and second halves of each year to continuously verify compliance with statutory requirements, including whether designation standards for staffing, facilities, and equipment are being met and whether emergency treatment systems are being maintained.

Cho Gyu-yul, Director General of the Citizen Health Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “The designation of these regional emergency medical centers, based on a comprehensive assessment of emergency medical needs in Busan and the clinical capabilities of each institution, will serve as an important opportunity to strengthen the core foundation of essential healthcare in the region and establish a regionally self-sufficient emergency medical system.”

He added, “We will continue to closely monitor the operations of designated institutions and strengthen coordination among them, while pursuing field-oriented emergency medical policies so that residents can receive emergency medical services promptly.”