Plastic Surgeon Sentenced to Prison for Habitual Propofol Administration, Including to His Wife

A plastic surgeon has been sentenced to prison for repeatedly administering propofol under the guise of simple cosmetic procedures.
The Busan District Court, presided over by Judge Lee Ho-yeon of the 11th Criminal Division, announced today (June 30) that it has sentenced a male doctor in his 40s, identified as A, to one year and six months in prison for violating the Narcotics Control Act.
A female nursing team leader in her 50s, identified as B, and the surgeon's wife were each sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years.
Three other individuals who repeatedly received propofol injections by visiting multiple hospitals were also given sentences ranging from six to ten months in prison, suspended for two years each.
Doctor A, who operated a clinic primarily focused on plastic surgery in Haeundae-gu, Busan, was indicted for conspiring with nursing team leader B to administer propofol for non-medical purposes to 10 patients on 215 occasions between April 2022 and December 2024.
Investigations revealed that they continued to administer propofol during cosmetic procedures that did not require sedation, despite being aware that some patients showed signs of propofol dependency.
They concealed the illegal administrations by failing to enter the usage records into the Narcotics Information Management System or by simply writing "sedation" in medical records without specifying the exact product name and quantity of propofol used.
Doctor A also administered the drug to his own wife. His wife showed signs of dependency on both propofol and ketamine, and at times, she would visit the clinic and cause a disturbance to demand the drug.
Doctor A's wife was also charged with repeatedly receiving propofol 36 times between April 2022 and January of this year by exaggerating pain to request sedation at her husband's clinic as well as other medical facilities.
The other patients involved were also found to have visited multiple hospitals to receive propofol while undergoing skin cosmetic procedures that did not require sedation.
The number of administrations for the individuals involved in this case ranged from 99 to 508 times. The case against the patient who was found to have received the most injections was dismissed following their death in March.
The court stated the reason for the sentencing, noting, "Narcotics-related crimes harm public health and threaten the national healthcare order," and added, "Doctor A and B, who were in positions responsible for preventing the misuse and abuse of narcotics, instead used their status to commit these crimes."
(Photo: Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.