President Lee Jae Myung said on Tuesday that urgent measures are necessary to address cases in which emergency patients die after being turned away by multiple hospitals, ordering officials to submit a separate report on solutions.

Speaking during a health ministry briefing at the Sejong Convention Center on Tuesday, Lee said it was not normal for patients to be transferred across cities while waiting for treatment and that hospitals should provide emergency care while arranging transfers if needed.

He said a system originally meant to reduce emergency room overcrowding was now functioning as a mechanism to reject patients, leaving ambulances circulating without securing treatment.

Health Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong said low medical fees, legal risks and around-the-clock workloads were driving doctors away from fields such as emergency medicine.

Lee said increasing the supply of doctors was necessary, but added that compensation for essential medical services must rise if rewards failed to match labor and risk.

Jeong said the government plans to rebalance medical fees by cutting overvalued services and expanding underpaid ones, with a broader adjustment expected early next year.