University hospital doctors, nurses acquitted in deaths of four newborns
/ Yonhap
A Seoul court on Thursday acquitted seven doctors and nurses of Ewha Womans University Hospital of criminal charges brought against them over the deaths of four newborns by bacterial infection at the western Seoul hospital in December 2017.
The Seoul Southern District Court said it has found four doctors and three nurses at the university hospital not guilty of death by occupational negligence over the deaths of the newborns, citing lack of direct evidence.
On Dec. 16, 2017, four infants died within a span of two hours while being treated in the intensive care unit of the general hospital. Forensic results later confirmed that their deaths were all caused by the same type of bacteria that can be fatal to immunocompromised patients. After months of investigation, the seven were referred to trial on charges of death by occupational negligence.
"Negligence was recognized in the hospital's infection control. But a direct causal link between injections and the deaths of newborns has not been established," the court said in its ruling.
Police's forensic findings have suggested the injections of nutritional supplements for the babies were either originally contaminated or became contaminated while being opened and connected to intravenous tubes.
Cho Soo-jin, a pediatric professor in charge of the hospital's intensive care unit for newborns, was one of the seven indicted in the case. She was arrested on charges of death by occupational negligence in April last year but was later released on bail. (Yonhap)