"Treating Us Like Criminals on Top of a Patient's Death?" Doctors Voice Anger as Controversy Persists Despite Police Apology

[Anchor]

The controversy surrounding the police search and seizure at Ajou University Hospital's Pediatric Emergency Center shows no signs of subsiding, despite an apology from the police. The medical community has stepped forward, demanding fundamental measures and arguing that search and seizures on essential medical facilities should be restricted.

Reporter Jeong Gyeong-yun has the details.

[Reporter]

A day after high-ranking officials from the Korean National Police Agency visited Ajou University Hospital to express regret over the emergency room search and seizure, the medical community held an emergency press conference.

While stating they would always cooperate with police investigations, they argued that search and seizures in essential medical settings should be restricted in principle, and that prior consultation and expert opinions must be incorporated when deemed unavoidable.

Speakers choked back tears while appealing for an end to the practice of treating medical treatment spaces like crime scenes.

[Ryu Jung-min / President, Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine: The death of a patient is... the greatest scar and pain of all. Assuming medical staff are potential criminals from the outset, storming into treatment areas, and executing a warrant is...]

Lee Ji-sook, head of the Pediatric Emergency Center at Ajou University Hospital, stated that she had submitted her resignation after failing to receive a satisfactory explanation from the police regarding the warrant execution.

[Lee Ji-sook / Head of Pediatric Emergency Center, Ajou University Hospital: I submitted my resignation to the hospital president yesterday, and I ask for your understanding that it reflects a great deal of agony and distress on my part.]

The medical community emphasized that aggressive on-site police investigations have left both medical staff and patients deeply fearful, and urged that investigation guidelines be established by the end of next month.

They warned that if the recruitment schedule for resident and fellow doctors next year is disrupted or if specialists begin leaving, maintaining the pediatric emergency medical system will become difficult.

Minister of Health and Welfare Jeong Eun-kyeong promised to meet with the acting commissioner general of the Korean National Police Agency next week to accelerate the establishment of investigation guidelines.

The Ajou University Hospital doctors who expressed their intent to resign plan to continue normal patient care for now while monitoring the process of guideline formulation.

(Photo courtesy of Yonhap News) (Video by: Kim Seung-tae | Video Editing by: Shin Seeun | Design by: Cho Sooin)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.