Beyond Belief

Some good things about the South Korean national health care service?  It's cheap (I pay about 60 dollars of month to be on it), hospitals are common, and access is pretty much universal.

The bad news?  Do not -- repeat -- do not get into a car accident or suffer any kind of trauma involving internal bleeding.  Because Korean doctors will simply refuse to treat you:

“Kim [a two-year old] was hit by a car Friday in Jeonju, North Jeolla, and died after 13 hospitals refused to operate on him, saying they lacked operating rooms or surgeons. Kim died during an operation at Ajou University Hospital in Suwon, Gyeonggi.

‘The biggest failure lies with Chonbuk National University Hospital, whose doctors initially diagnosed the boy but later refused to do his operation,’ said an official from the Health and Welfare Ministry, ‘followed by Cheonnam National University Hopital and Eulji General Hospital for turning down the boy'.”

A toddler is bleeding to death and 13 hospitals refused to treat him.  Fucking madness.

Doctors who performed the initial diagnosis treat the foot but not the internal bleeding.  How is this not manslaughter?

The EMS helicopter won’t run because it’s after “working” hours.

As if murders and car accidents can’t happen after five, on the weekend, or on a national holiday.

What a clusterfuck.