"Extreme Fear When They Rush In"... Pediatric Emergency Medical Staff Make Tearful Appeal

The pediatric emergency medical community has repeatedly criticized the police's seizure and search of the Pediatric Specialized Emergency Medical Center at Ajou University Hospital, urging that seizure and search operations be restricted in principle within essential medical settings.

They also demanded institutionalization to ensure that when a seizure and search is unavoidable, prior consultations are held and the opinions of medical experts are reflected during the court's warrant review process.

The Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and the Council of Pediatric Specialized Emergency Medical Centers made the remarks during a press conference held at the Korean Medical Association in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, under the banner of denouncing the seizure and search of the pediatric emergency room and urging the protection of the right to treatment.

The press conference was attended by key pediatric specialized emergency medical center heads, including Ryu Jung-min, president of the Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine; Kim Do-gyun, president of the Council of Pediatric Specialized Emergency Medical Centers; and Lee Ji-sook, head of the Pediatric Specialized Emergency Medical Center at Ajou University Hospital.

They stated, "The police are a reliable helper in the emergency room who respond to child abuse cases and threats against medical staff, and partners and collaborators who protect the lives and safety of the public together. We are not trying to confront the police or hold them accountable, and if it is necessary to verify whether there was clear negligence in the course of treatment, we will always faithfully cooperate with the investigation."

They pointed out, "However, the emergency room is a place where the treatment process and causes can be proven more transparently than anywhere else through CCTV, computer records, and autopsies, even without investigators directly entering the treatment space."

They argued, "Treating medical staff who treated a child who died despite their best efforts as potential criminals from the beginning, and storming into the treatment area to execute a warrant drives on-site medical staff into extreme fear and intimidation, leading to defensive medicine and preventing them from making the best decisions. The damage is borne entirely by the sick children."

They added, "The very fact that investigative personnel enter the emergency room space where every second counts causes great bewilderment and fear not only among medical staff but also among patients and guardians. Since stability in the treatment environment is directly linked to patient lives, we hope such situations will not be repeated in the future."

To prevent recurrence, they demanded, "Seizure and search operations targeting essential medical settings where lives are at stake, such as emergency rooms, intensive care units, and delivery rooms, should be restricted in principle. In unavoidable cases, it must be institutionalized so that prior consultations and the opinions of medical experts are essentially reflected in the court's warrant review process."

They also urged the police to disclose their preparing investigation guidelines by the end of next month, stating, "Control devices against indiscriminate warrant execution must be established, and the excessive on-site investigation practices regarding routine patient deaths should be improved."


Lee Ji-sook, head of the center at Ajou University Hospital, conveyed that a high-ranking police official visited the hospital the previous day, saying, "The police acknowledged their lack of understanding regarding the emergency medical field, and apologized while sympathizing with the heavy pressure and deep wounds experienced by those subject to the seizure and search."

Center Head Lee noted, "However, we did not receive a convincing answer regarding the process by which the seizure and search warrant was requested and executed without prior notice."

According to the police and the medical community, Jeong Sang-jin, chief of the National Police Agency's Criminal Investigation Bureau, and Kim Hong-keun, acting head of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency, visited Ajou University Hospital yesterday and held a closed-door meeting for about 40 minutes with Ajou University Hospital President Cho Jae-ho and Pediatric Specialized Emergency Medical Center Head Lee Ji-sook.

An official from the Ministry of Health and Welfare was reportedly present at the meeting.

In response to a question about the expression of intent to resign by seven specialists at the Ajou University Hospital Pediatric Emergency Center, Center Head Lee answered, "Please refrain from using expressions such as mass resignation or collective action, as they make patients and guardians anxious. We are not framing or taking collective action to achieve a certain purpose in this crisis. Whether to submit a resignation letter is a matter of the freedom of occupational choice and individual circumstances."

She stated that she herself had submitted her resignation letter to the hospital president the previous day.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.