A notice regarding delays in emergency room services is posted in front of the emergency medical center at a hospital in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Yonhap

A construction worker in his 70s, who fell from a building site in Busan and sustained severe injuries, died while being transported between hospitals in search of emergency surgery.

According to the Busan Fire and Disaster Headquarters and the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency, 119 emergency services received a report at around 8:11 a.m. Monday, stating that a man in his 70s fell from the second floor to the first floor of a building under construction in Gijang County, Busan, while carrying construction materials.

The 119 paramedics arrived at the scene within 10 minutes of receiving the report and provided emergency care by stabilizing the man's back, which appeared to be fractured.

The paramedics then contacted eight regional emergency centers in Gijang County, Haeundae District, Busanjin District and Yangsan, South Gyeongsang Province, to find a hospital that could admit the patient.

However, all eight centers declined, citing a lack of capacity to take in new patients. It was only on their ninth attempt, with Kosin University Gospel Hospital in Seo District, Busan, that they found a facility that could provide treatment, although not surgery.

The hospital was about 50 kilometers from the accident site. The paramedics drove for about 30 minutes and arrived at the hospital around 9:23 a.m., roughly an hour and 10 minutes after the accident.

The emergency medical team at the hospital diagnosed a spinal fracture that could damage the lungs, indicating an urgent need for surgery.

However, due to a shortage of medical staff, particularly in the thoracic surgery department, the hospital was unable to perform the operation.

While providing basic life support, including intravenous fluids, the hospital continued searching for another facility capable of performing the surgery.

He eventually died at 12:24 p.m., about four hours after the accident.

A notice is posted at the emergency room of Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital in Seoul, Thursday, informing the public of the suspension of adult outpatient services once a week, as emergency room operations face disruptions at hospitals nationwide ahead of the Chuseok holiday. Yonhap

Since over 10,000 trainee doctors nationwide went on strike in February to protest the government's decision to increase medical school enrollment quotas, hospitals across the country have been forced to scale back their emergency services due to a shortage of available physicians.

The walkout has strained healthcare facilities, leading to reduced emergency room capacity and delays in patient care, leaving people taking the brunt of ongoing dispute on the country's medical system.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.