Seven pediatric doctors to quit in protest over police raid at Ajou University Hospital
Seven pediatric professors at Ajou University Hospital said they will resign after a police raid disrupted its emergency room during an infant death investigation.
Seven of nine pediatric professors at Ajou University Hospital in Gyeonggi delivered their intent to resign en masse on Tuesday after police raided the emergency room, a move doctors described as an intrusion that disrupted patient care and placed them under immense psychological pressure.
The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency conducted a search and seizure operation at the hospital's pediatric emergency room on Sept. 30 to investigate the death of a 4-month-old infant on July 15. The infant arrived at the hospital unresponsive and died despite more than an hour of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Later, the child's parents filed a complaint alleging medical negligence with law enforcement.
"Seven of the center's nine professors have said they intend to resign,” a hospital source said Wednesday. "They haven't stopped treating patients yet, but the emergency room would be unable to function if they all left at once.”
The hospital serves as a regional hub for pediatric emergency care in southern Gyeonggi. It operates around the clock and mainly admits critically ill children.
Rep. Han Zee-a of the People Power Party (PPP) revealed the mass resignations by disclosing exchanges with Lee Ji-sook, chief of Ajou University Hospital's pediatric emergency medical center, during a parliamentary audit of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee on Tuesday.
“I urged them not to quit, but they told me their hands were shaking and they could no longer practice medicine in areas under the jurisdiction of the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency," Rep. Han said.
Amid criticism that the raid disrupted patient care that day, backlash among medical staff further grew after police sought additional information as part of their investigation.
"The Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency contacted the hospital on Monday and demanded a complete list of medical personnel who were on duty on July 15, the day the infant died," Han said. "The staff said the request alone had made it difficult for them to provide medical care."
Medical professionals protest police's investigation targeting Ajou University Hospital at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Oct. 15.NEWS1
Police reportedly sought the identities of every medical worker on duty that day, including those unrelated to the case, even as the hospital's staff continued to protest last month's raid.
Police also declined to offer a direct apology despite demands from lawmakers across the aisle.
“I regret that the police search caused disruptions to patient care at the pediatric emergency room," Ham Young-wook, head of the provincial police’s investigation unit, said. "I say this as the official responsible for the investigation."
"The investigative team specializing in medical accidents consulted hospital officials in advance and conducted only the minimum search and seizure necessary in an unoccupied examination room in the presence of hospital representatives," Ham added. His remarks stopped short of a direct apology.
Democratic Party Rep. Lee In-young argued that police should express their regret to the medical staff on moral grounds, regardless of the need to establish the facts of the case.
A doctor is seen in front of an emergency room in a hospital in Seoul on Feb. 22, 2024.NEWS1
PPP Rep. Lee Man-hee, chair of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee, also pressed Ham to address the medical staff directly. However, Ham stood by his earlier remarks.
"If Ham had simply apologized, none of this would have happened," Rep. Han said. "We cannot allow Ajou University Hospital's pediatric emergency center to shut down." Han also noted that doctors resigned after watching the audit, which Ham attended.
The potential departure of seven professors could cripple emergency care for critically ill children across southern Gyeonggi. The hospital's pediatric emergency room had treated more than 9,000 pediatric patients in the first half of last year alone.
"We plan to work with the National Police Agency to develop guidelines for investigations and searches that reflect the concerns of medical professionals," a Ministry of Health and Welfare official said.
Patient advocacy groups echoed calls for clearer guidelines governing police investigations at medical facilities.
"We need to reconsider investigative procedures to ensure they are appropriate for medical settings such as emergency rooms and establish proper guidelines to prevent similar incidents," said Kim Seong-joo, head of the Korea Severe Disease Association.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
