Man in his 70s airlifted 300 km to Jeju for treatment amid medical strike

A man in his 70s from Busan was airlifted 300 kilometers to Jeju Island for emergency treatment after swallowing a piece of medical equipment during dental implant surgery.

According to Jeju National University Hospital on Thursday, the man was receiving an implant procedure in Busan around 4 p.m. last Friday when a dental tool – a screwdriver – entered his airway and became stuck in his bronchial tubes.

Paramedics attempted to find a hospital in the Busan area for a bronchoscopy procedure to remove the object.

However, no hospital in the vicinity or elsewhere on the mainland was available for the procedure, largely due to Korea's ongoing hospital staff shortage amid a prolonged strike by the medical community. In response, paramedics decided to airlift the man on an emergency helicopter to Jeju University Hospital on the southern island.

The patient arrived at the hospital at 11:42 p.m. and medical staff were able to remove the tool.

The man was able to return home to Busan four days later on Tuesday without complications.

“It is unusual for patients from other regions to be transported to Jeju at night,” a Jeju hospital official was quoted as saying in local media reports, noting that the ongoing healthcare crisis has led to emergency patients being transported across the Jeju Strait for critical treatment.