Saemangeum Jamboree had 8,500 patients admitted: lawmaker

Some 8,500 patients out of the 43,000 Scouts who participated in the World Scout Jamboree at Saemangeum, North Jeolla Province visited a medical facility during their stay at the campsite, an opposition party lawmaker said, citing state agency data.

According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency's report, which recorded medical operations at the campsite between July 29 to Aug. 7, about 20 percent of participants had visited the site’s medical grounds due to infectious diseases like COVID-19 and insect bites.

The Scouts had been camping out on the reclaimed land of Saemangeum before they were told to move out of the campsite due to the approaching Typhoon Khanun.

Among the patients, the highest number were those who had suffered from insect bites, with a total of 2,142 patients. The jamboree campsite was under heavy criticism due to several mosquitoes and ticks, but especially due to an insect known as the rove beetle, which causes severe dermatitis and blisters.

Other than patients with insect bites, 1,433 patients had sunburn, 1,059 patients had skin lesions and 712 patients had suffered from thermal injuries.

Additionally, out of 553 patients who were tested for COVID-19, 170 tested positive, with 141 of them being foreign nationals. There were no patients affected by other forms of infectious diseases at the campsite. Four hundred and three patients were diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infections, and the remaining 2,198 were diagnosed with other unspecified symptoms.

Due to the rising number of patients which increased day by day, the number of medical staff that the organizing committee had initially dispatched was inadequate. According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the medical team -- which initially had 176 staff members including 45 doctors -- increased later on to 364 staff members, with additional personnel being provided by the National Medical Center, Korean Red Cross and public and private medical centers in North Jeolla Province and other parts of the country.

"Failures to predict various health factors that could increase demand for medical care -- such as heat-related ailments, insect bites and COVID-19 -- led to confusion at the campsite," said Rep. Shin Hyun-young of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. "It is essential to examine why there was an insufficient medical response during a global event held in Korea, a country known for its advanced health care system."