Kim Hyun-bin began his journalism career at Arirang TV from 2012 to 2017, specializing in defense, foreign affairs and the economy. In 2018, he joined The Korea Times, covering society and business, and is currently responsible for embassy affairs.
Doctors plan protest against colleagues' conviction
Choi Dae-zip, president of the Korean Medical Association, lies on the sidewalk in front of the National Assembly in Seoul, Tuesday, in protest of the recent imprisonment of three doctors arrested for misdiagnosis. Yonhap
By Kim Hyun-bin
By Kim Hyun-bin
A doctors' group is planning a rally in Seoul later this month to protest the recent conviction of three doctors who were found guilty of a malpractice that led to the death of a child.
They claim it was unfair to prosecute the doctors because they could not “control unexpected” situations, threatening to strike if they were not released.
But the public is giving a cold shoulder to their action, saying the doctors were rightfully charged for professional negligence and the government should strengthen punishment for such actions.
The Korean Medical Association said they would hold the rally in Gwanghwamun, Seoul, Nov. 11, with 130,000 members and students at medical schools participating.
Choi Dae-zip, the president of the association, has been staging a one-man protest in front of Cheong Wa Dae, the National Assembly and Suwon Detention Center where the doctors have been detained, calling for their release. He and some other doctors shaved their heads to protest the court's verdict.
The protest began after a local court sentenced two doctors each to one year in prison and another to 18 months, Oct. 24, for professional negligence after they misdiagnosed an eight-year-old boy's symptoms of pneumonia and hydrothorax in his lower left lung as constipation in 2013. They focused on relieving the pain during the boy's four hospital visits, and he died at a nearby university hospital from hematogenic shock caused by a diaphragmatocele and a hemothorax.
This was the first time for doctors to be tried as criminal defendants for a misdiagnosis. The three were put behind bars immediately after sentencing.
“From now on, all doctors in Korea could face criminal charges for their medical decisions and any of them can be imprisoned for a mishap,” Choi said, adding medical practice has limits in that even a doctor's best efforts sometimes lead to bad results.
“Doctors, who are experts, try to gain the best results through their expertise and experience. But they sometimes cannot predict or avoid danger,” Choi said. “If a high court does not change the decision, it will make doctors perform their duties minimally.”
However, most of the public is against the association's move, especially toward the strike, which will greatly inconvenience patients. Some even posted online petitions on Cheong Wa Dae's website to call for punishment of the leaders.
“Doctors these days are shameless and take no responsibility. They only see patients as paychecks,” a petitioner wrote. “They rather need to apologize for the misdiagnosis. These evil groups need to be investigated thoroughly, so they can learn how trashy their actions are.”
“This is a strike most of the public can't understand. If there is a hospital that takes part in the strike, I will never go there,” another person wrote on social media.