ⓒYONHAP News

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed national university hospitals to focus their medical resources on treating critically ill COVID-19 patients.

According to spokesperson Park Kyung-mee, Moon made the call during a meeting with his aides, saying the government is fully responsible for securing hospital beds.

He added that though beds have doubled in the past year and at-home treatment has expanded, it’s still not enough and urged the government to carry out extra measures to meet the medical capacity.

Moon also ordered public hospitals in the capital area to convert to treating infectious diseases exclusively if possible, and for as many public sector medical workers, including military doctors, to be assigned to treat COVID-19 patients.

He also asked private hospitals to offer support by treating non-pandemic patients and promised financial support and compensation for medical facilities that give COVID-19 treatment.

The government on Wednesday said it is securing additional hospital beds for serious COVID-19 patients to ensure that the nation's health care system will be able to accommodate daily caseloads in the ten-thousands.

According to health authorities, securing an additional six-thousand-900 beds for serious patients is aimed for by next month.

Some public institutions, including the National Medical Center and the Seoul Medical Center, will suspend general practice to focus on treating COVID-19 patients.

An administrative order has been issued for general hospitals, including national university hospitals, to increase beds for serious and critical cases by one percent. Twenty more medical facilities have been designated to specialize in COVID-19.

Over two-thousand-400 beds will be set up at university dormitories and training centers run by public agencies. Medical facilities will be expanded so that seven-thousand patients a day can receive at-home treatment.

Meanwhile, the pool of medical personnel will be expanded by assigning military and public health doctors to treat serious and critical COVID-19 patients.