Time to get tougher with doctors for illegal practices
Recent cases of medical doctors ignoring their professional ethics are raising concerns about their disregard for the Hippocratic Oath. Medical professionals are required to swear to uphold specific ethical standards regarding patient treatment according to their ability and judgment, but never with a view to causing injury or any other wrongdoing.
However, some medical doctors and nurses were found to have committed illegal and "nonsensical" medical practices with no respect for human life. Such acts are against not only medical ethics, but also the law. They only tried to fatten their wallets.
A famous cosmetic surgeon in Gangnam, southern Seoul, was arrested and indicted on charges of having injected propofol illegally for 10 patients addicted to the powerful anesthetic agent, which can be fatal in large doses. He is suspected of pocketing about 500 million won ($454,000) in profits from April to June.
In another case at a Busan clinic, a salesman of a medical equipment company performed surgery on a patient suffering from shoulder pain on behalf of a surgeon, leaving her brain-dead.
"Ghost" surgery is a signature malpractice in the medical world that must end. It is shocking that the Busan operation was conducted by a salesman. The case clearly shows how seriously that surgeon's occupational ethics were damaged.
Of course, most medical doctors and hospitals respect the value of life and treat their patients as dignified human beings. However, those only seeking to earn money by ignoring medical ethics should be expelled for good.
The Medical Services Act is too lenient toward medical doctors involved in illegal practices, calling for a maximum one-month suspension of their license. The government should strengthen punishment so as to strip doctors of their licenses permanently in serious cases. At the same time, it should ensure they take civil and criminal responsibility for their bad practices.
Recent cases of medical doctors ignoring their professional ethics are raising concerns about their disregard for the Hippocratic Oath. Medical professionals are required to swear to uphold specific ethical standards regarding patient treatment according to their ability and judgment, but never with a view to causing injury or any other wrongdoing.
However, some medical doctors and nurses were found to have committed illegal and "nonsensical" medical practices with no respect for human life. Such acts are against not only medical ethics, but also the law. They only tried to fatten their wallets.
A famous cosmetic surgeon in Gangnam, southern Seoul, was arrested and indicted on charges of having injected propofol illegally for 10 patients addicted to the powerful anesthetic agent, which can be fatal in large doses. He is suspected of pocketing about 500 million won ($454,000) in profits from April to June.
In another case at a Busan clinic, a salesman of a medical equipment company performed surgery on a patient suffering from shoulder pain on behalf of a surgeon, leaving her brain-dead.
"Ghost" surgery is a signature malpractice in the medical world that must end. It is shocking that the Busan operation was conducted by a salesman. The case clearly shows how seriously that surgeon's occupational ethics were damaged.
Of course, most medical doctors and hospitals respect the value of life and treat their patients as dignified human beings. However, those only seeking to earn money by ignoring medical ethics should be expelled for good.
The Medical Services Act is too lenient toward medical doctors involved in illegal practices, calling for a maximum one-month suspension of their license. The government should strengthen punishment so as to strip doctors of their licenses permanently in serious cases. At the same time, it should ensure they take civil and criminal responsibility for their bad practices.
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