Health ministry backs limits on raids at pediatric emergency wards

The health ministry said Friday it will work with police to draw up guidelines limiting how investigations are carried out at essential-care facilities, after pediatric emergency doctors asked for restraint in raids on hospital emergency rooms.

Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyeong met Ryu Jung-min, president of the Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, at a meeting room near Seoul Station to hear the group's views on investigations in the essential-care field, the ministry said.

The society's request followed the search of the pediatric emergency medical center at Ajou University Hospital. It asked that police refrain from searching essential-care facilities such as emergency rooms, submit requests for voluntary documents first, and adopt procedures that protect patient safety and the continuity of treatment.

Jeong agreed with the concerns and said the ministry would consult the National Police Agency so that guidelines applicable to essential-care sites can be prepared quickly. A police proposal for the minister and the agency's acting chief to meet directly next week to discuss bringing the guidelines forward was accepted, with the exact schedule still being arranged.

The society also raised three policy issues for pediatric emergency care: strengthening the transport system for critically ill children, expanding public support to secure staff for pediatric emergency treatment, and running a public campaign so that disputes over emergency-room care do not lead to 112 reports or criminal complaints. The ministry said it would review them actively.

"The government deeply sympathizes with the difficulties felt at essential-care sites," Jeong said. "We will continue to work to create an environment where medical staff can work with peace of mind."