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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

Ewha Medical Center downgraded over newborn deaths

Officers from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency carry boxes of confiscated material out of the neonatal intensive care unit at Ewha Womans University Medical Center after conducting a search related to the deaths of four premature babies, Dec. 19. YonhapBy Lee Kyung-minThe government has lowered the status of Ewha Womans University Medical Center in its assessment, following the deaths of four newborns at the hospital due to a possible infection combined with possible staff negligence.The decision came shortly before the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Citrobacter freundii, a gram-negative type of bacteria found earlier in the blood of three of the babies, were also found in intravenous solutions all four were injected with. This increased the possibility that the mix became tainted while hospital staff administered it to the babies. The KCDC said contamination in the solution production was unlikely. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday that a decision to assess the hospital grade had been delayed to await a recommendation from the acc

Dec 26, 2017
Ewha Medical Center downgraded over newborn deaths

Police draw skepticism over capacity to prove medical malpractice

Police officers search neonatal intensive care unit at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in western Seoul, Dec. 19. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-hanBy Lee Kyung-minInvestigation into the deaths of four premature babies faces a major challenge as police have neither the sophisticated methods nor the manpower equipped with in-depth knowledge to prove medical malpractice, Monday. The burden of proof in a medical malpractice dispute is on the claimants as they have to prove causality between deaths or injuries and the treatment given. Courts entirely finding for the claimants in civil suits account for less than 1 percent of total rulings, according to experts. Likewise, courts in criminal suits rarely recognize such claims unless the prosecution proves beyond a reasonable doubt that the physical damage was the direct result of medical malpractice.Police questioned a head nurse and a pharmacist at Ewha Womans University Medical Center over how the hospital managed day and night shifts, the chain of orders and commands, as well as how the intravenous solutions were administered.T

Dec 25, 2017
Police draw skepticism over capacity to prove medical malpractice

Police probe to focus on infection management

By You Soo-sunPolice will look into the infectionmanagement system at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in western Seoul, after one of four infants who died there last week was found to have been infected with a virus, indicating possible negligence by the hospital. They will question as many as eight members of staff next week to check how the facility was operated, including the administration of medication, staff allocation and outsider’s access to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) there. Police said Sunday hospital medical records revealed that the hospital was aware that one of the four deceased premature babies had been infected with Rotavirus, a common virus among infants and children that is transmitted through feces or vomit. Earlier, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told the police the same virus was found in all four of the deceased infants in the NICU. Authorities regard this as a critical factor in the ongoing investigation as it may serve as an indicator of the facility’s level of hygiene. On Dec. 19, four premature infants died

Dec 24, 2017

No. of neurogenic bladder patients on rise

By Lee Kyung-minThe number of patients treated for neurogenic bladder disorder, symptoms that include an inability to control urination, increased 6.6 percent on year over the past five years, government data showed Sunday. According to data from the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), 415,000 people sought hospital treatment for the disease last year, up 6.6 percent from 301,000 in 2011.Of them, more than a third, or 34.1 percent were those in their 70s and over, followed by those in their 60s (19.4 percent), and 50s (17.4 percent).About 266,000 patients were women, almost double the number of men at 148,327. Men mostly suffered from benign prostatic hyperplasia, a common condition men get as they become older, in which the prostate gland gets bigger and causes difficulty in urinating. Women had it due to peripheral nerve or central nervous disorder. Aggregated treatment costs also increased to 84.4 billion won ($77.7 million) last year, up 10.6 percent from 51.1 billion won in 2011.Those who have the condition lack bladder control due to brain, spinal cord or nerve damage, wh

Dec 22, 2017

Lawmakers urged to curb overseas adoption of Korean children

Gov’t submits motion to ratify Hague Adoption Convention By You Soo-sunThe National Assembly has been stalling on ratifying the Hague Adoption Convention, which seeks to minimize inter-country adoption and establish safeguards for children. The Ministry of Health and Welfare submitted a motion for approval of the convention on Oct. 18. The convention, which enforces stricter requirements for inter-country adoption and calls for protections against related abuses such as child trafficking, came into effect in the international community in 1995. Since then, 96 countries have ratified the convention; South Korea signed the convention in May 2013, but has yet to ratify it. If the National Assembly approves the motion, it is expected to reduce the number of inter-country adoptions and change the practices surrounding the system. Specifically, it maintains that inter-country adoptions should be made in the best interests of the child and that each state should take measures to enable the child stay with their biological family ― such as by providing aid to single-parent househo

Dec 21, 2017

Flu strikes over 1,900 students in Daegu

An influenza patient is treated at a children’s hospital. / Korea Times fileBy Chyung Eun-juOver 1,900 students have been diagnosed with influenza in Daegu, according to the Daegu Metropolitan Office of Education on Tuesday.It said 220 schools reported 1,940 students with influenza from Dec. 1 to 18.Elementary schools were the hardest hit, with 1,323 cases across 121 schools. There were over 450 cases at 57 middle schools and 156 across 41 high schools.The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued an influenza warning on Dec. 1 after the number of cases grew to an alarming level.Influenza causes mild to severe symptoms that in some rare cases can lead to death.Last year, 5,847 students from 350 schools had the flu.“We will discuss how to take care of infected students in each school and figure out how many flu patients there are and take preventive measures,” an education office official said.

Dec 21, 2017
Flu strikes over 1,900 students in Daegu

Companies to disclose wage information to tackle gap between genders

By Kim Bo-eunThe government said Wednesday it will make companies disclose information on wages in an effort to eliminate the gender pay gap.The measure is part of a five-year plan to promote gender equality unveiled by the gender ministry, Wednesday, after a committee meeting presided over by Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon. “The plan aims to increase an awareness of gender equality, promote equality at workplaces, achieve a work-life balance and improve the health and safety of women,” the Minister of Gender Equality and Family, Chung Hyun-back, said in a briefing at the Seoul Government Complex.This is the second set of measures since those unveiled in 2015. Despite efforts, a 2016 survey showed 62.6 percent believed women are subject to inequality.The measures were drawn up based on the survey, which stated that overcoming the gender wage gap and increasing men’s participation in household duties and childcare are some of the most urgent tasks.According to data from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, women are paid 63.2 percent of what men earn. The 36.8 percent gap

Dec 20, 2017

Ewha hospital raided over newborns' deaths

Investigators search Ewha Womans University Medical Center in western Seoul, Tuesday. / YonhapBy Jung Min-hoPolice searched Ewha Womans University Medical Center in western Seoul Tuesday following the deaths of four premature babies in its neonatal intensive care unit last week.Thirteen police officers and officials from the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) searched the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (ICU) and computer center, confiscating medical devices and records.Investigators took incubators, drug-administering devices and prescription histories for examination because of suspicions that the hospital violated basic rules when treating the babies.The National Forensic Service (NFS) will examine the devices to determine as part of its efforts to find the cause of their deaths and what made them sick in the first place. Results are expected in about one month.The babies died Sunday within a two-hour period due to an unknown cause.More than 10 hospital officials, including two doctors and five nurses on duty that day, will be summoned for questi

Dec 19, 2017
Ewha hospital raided over newborns' deaths

Gov't passes legislation banning installation of all cameras at bathhouses, restrooms

The Cabinet approved a bill Tuesday that calls for banning the installation of all filming or photographing devices at public bathhouses, restrooms and other places vulnerable to privacy violations. The legislation, which the Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to submit to the National Assembly for approval, is aimed mainly at combating "hidden camera" crimes of secretly filming people for sexual gratification and other purposes. The bill is designed to close a legal loophole as the current law bans secret filming only, not the installation of filming devices, officials said. Under the proposed act, the installation of all such devices, including CCTV cameras, Internet-connected cameras, smartphones and wearable cameras, is banned at public bathhouses, dressing rooms, public restrooms and other vulnerable places, officials said. Violations will be punished with fines of up to 50 million won ($45,982). The legislation came as hidden camera crimes have become a growing social problem. According to the National Police Agency, the number of hidden camera crimes, which stood at 2,4

Dec 19, 2017
Gov't passes legislation banning installation of all cameras at bathhouses, restrooms

Police raid hospital over suspicious deaths of four newborns

Police said Tuesday they raided a university hospital in western Seoul over allegations that they mishandled the treatment of four premature babies in an intensive care unit, resulting in their mysterious deaths this weekend. The crime unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency sent its investigators to search the premises of Ewha Womans University Medical Center to confiscate evidence, including incubators, injection tools and medical records, the agency said. The raid comes as four newborns successively died of an unknown cause within less than a two-hour period Saturday. The health authorities have launched a full investigation to find out the exact cause of the accident, while the preliminary autopsies on the babies have found no evident reason for their deaths although it has left open the possibility of a bacterial infection. (Yonhap)

Dec 19, 2017
Police raid hospital over suspicious deaths of four newborns
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