Emergency responders are unable to administer painkillers when transporting patients...Even amputees can't actually get painkillers in the ambulance
Sep 26, 2025
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According to data received by Kim Ye-ji, a member of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, from the National Fire Agency and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, only 0.04% of amputees transferred by ambulance received painkillers.
In fact, according to the National Fire Agency's tally, only four (0.04%) of the 9,595 amputated patients transferred by ambulance in the last three years from 2022 to last year were given painkillers. By year, it was 2 out of 3,107 in 2022 and 2 out of 3,127 in 2023, and none of 3,361 people received painkillers in 2024. Last year, three of the amputated patients took more than three hours to be transferred to the hospital, but they were not given painkillers at all.
According to the current Enforcement Regulations of the Emergency Medical Service Act, drugs that can be administered by first-class first responders are limited to glucose, nitroglycerin, bronchodilators, fluids, and epinephrine.
The hospital office emphasized that amputated patients need institutional supplementation because the patient's pain is severe because painkillers are rarely administered, even though the wrist is a severe trauma that reaches the most severe condition according to the Korean Classification of Severity (KTAS).
"Allowing patients with severe pain, such as amputations, to use on-site painkillers is directly related to the safety of patients," said Kim Ye-ji"The Ministry of Health and Welfare should consult with the medical community to establish an education, training and qualification management system, and a patient-centered emergency transfer pain management system."," he said.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
