As several medical staff at Ajou University Hospital's pediatric emergency medical center announced their resignations following a police search, conservative opposition parties, including the People Power Party and the Reform Party, criticized the police's investigative methods. They warned that such investigations, which do not consider the unique circumstances of essential medical services, could lead to a gap in medical care and called for oversight and measures to address the situation.
On October 28, Im Yi-ja, chair of the People Power Party's policy committee, expressed her concerns on Facebook, questioning whether the medical staff who performed over an hour of CPR on a baby in cardiac arrest were treated as suspects during the police search of the emergency room. She demanded an immediate investigation into the entire search process.
Previously, the Gyeonggi Southern Provincial Police Agency conducted a search of the pediatric emergency medical center at Ajou University Hospital on September 30, following the death of a child receiving treatment there. It has been reported that seven out of nine pediatric emergency medicine specialists at the center subsequently submitted their resignations to the hospital.
Im emphasized, "Which doctor will now protect the pediatric emergency room? The impact on the pediatric emergency room will inevitably fall on hundreds of thousands of children and parents in southern Gyeonggi Province."
On the same day, Kim Eun-hye, a member of the People Power Party, held a meeting with the Gyeonggi Medical Association in Suwon to discuss responses to the resignation crisis among medical staff. She criticized the police's investigative approach, stating, "The investigation disregarded the unique nature of essential medical services, threatening patients at the brink of life and death and driving doctors away from the front lines of emergency care."
Lee Joo-young, a member of the Reform Party and a former pediatric emergency physician, also pointed out issues with the police investigation during a press conference at the National Assembly. He argued, "While the principle of presumption of innocence applies to cases of child abuse and verbal or physical assaults against medical staff, only the medical personnel who fought to save patients were presumed guilty."
He added, "If even those who work hard are treated as potential criminals, who will take on that work? There are no medical staff who intentionally harm patients; if we do not restore this basic understanding, the future of healthcare in South Korea is at risk."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.