13 Hospitals Visited, Propofol Administered 54 Times... 13 Referred for Investigation Over "Medical Shopping"

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced that it has requested investigations into 13 medical institutions that excessively prescribed the medical narcotic propofol, as well as 13 individuals who received propofol prescriptions after visiting multiple hospitals.

The ministry explained that it took this action after conducting a targeted inspection focusing on medical institutions and patients that administered or received propofol.

The subjects of the inspection were 23 medical institutions and 26 patients where propofol was administered 13 or more times to a single individual last year.

The ministry explained that the subjects for investigation were selected by comprehensively considering the frequency and reasons for administration, followed by expert reviews involving specialists and other professionals.

The patients referred for investigation visited an average of 6 medical institutions over the course of a year and received propofol 29 times, with skin procedures and plastic surgery accounting for the majority of the reasons for administration.

It was confirmed that an individual identified as A engaged in so-called "medical shopping," visiting 13 different hospitals over a one-year period and receiving propofol 54 times under the pretext of skin whitening and hair removal procedures.

Through this inspection, the ministry stated that it has requested local governments to take administrative action against 14 medical institutions where violations of regulations, such as failing to report narcotic administration details, were uncovered.

To prevent the excessive prescription of propofol, the ministry is implementing a system starting tomorrow that allows doctors to check a patient's propofol administration history before prescribing narcotics.

(Photo: Provided by Yonhap News TV, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.