300 medical institutions to stay open for first-aid during Lunar New Year holidays

About 300 medical institutions of hospital-class or higher will operate for first-aid treatment during the Lunar New Year holidays Jan. 23-25, and the government-operating health centers will run a special medical examination and treatment team.

According to the measures for medial examination and treatment prepared by the Seoul City government during the holiday period, 71 emergency medical institutions, including general hospitals, and 216 hospital-class medical institutions will operate during the holiday, and doctors offices will open according to the order autonomously.

More than 25 percent of drugstores in Seoul will be designated as those on duty every day, and closed drugstores will be requested to post guides to nearby operating drugstores through a notice on the wall. Health centers in the city¡¯s 25 ¡°gu¡± districts will be operated alternately every one or two days, while operating a special team for the treatment and transfer of first-aid patients.

The 119 service of the firefighting headquarters and the 1339 service of the emergency medical information center will continue to operate. For the convenience of citizens, Seoul will announce the names of hospitals and drugstores to remain open during the holiday period through Internet pages of the city (www.metro.seoul.kr) and the districts, while operating a task force to check relevant medical measures (82-2-3707-9131/6).

Park Yun-Chul yc97@donga.com