Severed Leg Found in Recycling Bag: "Mistaken for Cast Plaster"

[Anchor]

A human leg found at a recycling center in Incheon has been identified as belonging to a patient in her 80s receiving treatment at a nearby nursing hospital. The hospital staff told police that the amputation was unavoidable due to advanced necrosis.

Kim Gyu-ri reports.

[Reporter]

Police announced that the human leg part discovered at a recycling center in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, on June 10 has been confirmed to belong to a patient hospitalized at a local nursing facility.

The patient is a woman in her 80s who was admitted on June 1. According to the hospital, the amputation was performed in her hospital room on June 8.

Regarding the fact that the amputation took place in a patient room rather than an operating room, hospital officials told police that the necrosis in the leg had progressed to a point where anesthesia was not even necessary.

[Lee Heon / Chief of Detective Division, Incheon Yeonsu Police Station: The family stated that the patient's condition was so severe that no other hospital would accept her, and that they had earnestly requested this hospital to take her in.]

The hospital explains that the family sought out the nursing home after being told at another hospital that further treatment was no longer possible, and the facility agreed to admit her.

Based on these statements and expert consultations, the police plan to determine whether performing an amputation outside of an operating room constitutes a violation of the law.

Regarding the negligent management of medical waste, the hospital staff told police that a cleaning volunteer mistook the severed leg, which was wrapped in bandages, for plaster used for a medical cast.

They claimed it was mistaken for plaster because it was hard. However, it has been confirmed that hospital CCTV footage captured the scene where the leg, initially in a medical waste bag, was transferred into a recycling waste bag.

The police have scaled down the investigation headquarters, which had been composed of about 100 officers due to suspicions of a violent crime, to a dedicated investigation team. They plan to continue the investigation into whether the hospital violated the Wastes Control Act and the Medical Service Act.

Reported by Lim Dong-guk | Video by Jo Mu-hwan | Graphics by Kang Yun-jeong
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.