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As the number of confirmed cases increased, the government decided to secure more COVID-19 beds last week. However, there are voices of concern in the field that not only increase the number of beds, but also introduce medical equipment and, above all else, that it is urgent to expand the manpower.



Reporter Kim Deok-hyun reports.



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Through an executive order issued on the 5th, the government announced that it would secure an additional 402 beds for semi-severe and 692 beds for moderate illness in the metropolitan area.



The government estimated that it would take at least four weeks to prepare the beds.



Hospitals say they need more time.



Converting an existing ward into a COVID-19 ward requires medical equipment and sometimes even construction.



Medical staff in charge have to be taken from other wards or newly hired, which is both time-consuming and costly.



The Medical Solidarity Headquarters, where hospital nurses and others gathered, said that it is urgent to expand the medical manpower, even as the strike scheduled for tomorrow (11th) was lifted.



One nurse should reduce the number of COVID-19 patients cared for by seven.



[Lee Hyun-seop / Gyeonggi Medical Center Icheon Hospital Nurse: There are many employees who work in the isolation ward and their chronic diseases worsen, and there are many employees who get new diseases. Next time (confirmed) 5,000 people will come out like this, but on the field, I'm really going to die.]



The COVID-19 ward manpower standard agreed by the government and the health and medical union in September is also at the level of pilot application, so it is difficult to reflect it on the spot right now.



It is also pointed out that securing hospital beds should not be approached simply by increasing the number of wards.



[Kim Yun/Professor of Medical Management, Seoul National University College of Medicine: The hospital bed is not looking at the patient, but the medical staff looking at the patient.

We are only increasing the number of beds and not expanding the manpower...

.] The



government has decided to introduce 33 blood oxygen supply equipment and 60 ventilators in line with securing a bed, and plans to prepare countermeasures for the expansion of medical staff in short-term and mid-to-long term.



(Video coverage: Kim Min-cheol, video editing: Yoon Tae-ho)  



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