The Korean Medical Association (KMA) has requested that the government impose administrative sanctions on a clinic in Seoul, following allegations that it falsified medical records to provide patients with the obesity drug Mounjaro.
The KMA Central Ethics Committee recently decided on disciplinary action against the clinic and requested that the Ministry of Health and Welfare carry out administrative sanctions.
The case came to light after SBS reported in December last year that a clinic in Seoul was fabricating documents to allow patients to claim private medical insurance for treatments unrelated to obesity, effectively giving away Mounjaro as a gift.
Immediately after the report, the Seoul Medical Association received the case and initiated disciplinary procedures, viewing the actions as a serious ethical violation. Following an investigation by an expert review panel and deliberation by an ethics committee, the association requested a disciplinary review from the KMA in April of this year.
With the KMA Central Ethics Committee now requesting administrative sanctions from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which holds the authority to enforce such measures, the internal disciplinary process within the medical community has concluded after approximately six months.
The KMA's request for administrative sanctions goes beyond the conventional internal disciplinary measures or warnings, and is interpreted as a strong signal of intent to effectively impose restrictions on the practitioner's medical license.
The Seoul Medical Association, which received notice of the KMA's disciplinary request on July 2, issued a statement today (July 8) urging the Ministry of Health and Welfare to promptly link the results to administrative sanctions.
The association also called for institutional improvements, requesting the granting of autonomous disciplinary rights to allow the medical community to respond more effectively to unethical medical practices.
In its statement, the association argued, "If the administrative authorities ignore the decisions made by the medical community through investigation, deliberation, and disciplinary action, it will be difficult to expect any deterrent effect against unethical medical practices or the restoration of public trust in the medical system."
Hwang Gyu-seok, President of the Seoul Medical Association, stated, "This case proves that autonomous methods are a much faster and more effective response to unethical medical practices that undermine medical ethics and destroy public trust than judicial procedures."
(Photo: Yonhap News)