Samsung Medical Center haunted by 'ghost surgery'

Gynecologist suspended after directing novice to do his work

By Jung Min-ho

A renowned Samsung Medical Center gynecologist has been suspended indefinitely for directing ghost surgeries on three occasions earlier this month.

The gynecologist, surnamed Kim, went to Japan on July 8 for a medical conference starting that day, while a novice doctor conducted operations in his place, without the knowledge of the patients or their families.

Fortunately, the substitute doctor completed the operations ― for uterine myoma and a total hysterectomy ― without problem. However, the doctor received help from another gynecologist for ovarian cancer surgery.

On July 13, the center banned Kim from practicing medicine after concluding that Kim used his authority to direct the misconduct.

The center’s President Kwon O-jung and Kim apologized to the affected patients and their families. The patients also received refunds, including the extra charges they paid for receiving surgery from Kim.

In Korea, patients can pay extra money to receive treatment from highly skilled and experienced doctors. Should the doctor fail to inform the patient of a change in surgeon, he or she could be prosecuted for fraud charges.

It is unclear whether the patients will file a lawsuit against Kim and the hospital.

Kim’s misconduct could be a major blow to the center’s reputation, which is still reeling from the MERS outbreak it failed to contain last year.

It is difficult to know how pervasive ghost surgery is in Korea, given that it is not tracked or studied. But medical insiders say Kim is certainly not the only doctor involved in it.

Plastic surgery clinics have earned the worst reputation for ghost doctors. In April, a director of Grand Plastic Surgery in Gangnam, one of the country’s largest plastic surgery clinics, was charged with fraud related to ghost surgery.

To dispel worries among patients, the Fair Trade Commission announced earlier this month that it revised the standard contract for surgery to require hospitals and clinics to provide patients with detailed information on who performs operations.

According to the revision, the names of all physicians participating in the surgery as well as their specialties should be written in the contract. When doctors other than those in the contract are to perform the operation instead, the hospital must explain to the patient or family why.

The government is concerned that ghost surgery may ruin its efforts to attract overseas medical tourists.