"Disruptions Against Emergency Room Medical Staff Occurred Once Every Four Days Last Year"

[Financial News] Over the past five years, there have been more than 200 incidents of violence and verbal abuse against medical staff in emergency rooms. According to data submitted to Minjeon, a member of the People Power Party and the National Assembly Education Committee, during the Parliamentary Inspection of the Administration, Seoul National University Hospital (SNUH) reported a total of 226 disruptive incidents in its emergency rooms (main hospital and Bundang branch) from 2021 to 2025.
By year, there were 23 cases in 2021, 18 in 2022, 59 in 2023, and 97 in 2024. As of July this year, there have already been 29 cases. In 2024, with 97 incidents, this means such disruptions occurred roughly once every four days.
When categorized by cause, 155 cases were due to dissatisfaction with medical treatment, followed by 28 related to waiting times and 16 involving intoxicated individuals.
There were also 31 cases of violence targeting medical staff or security personnel trying to subdue disruptive individuals in the emergency room. For example, on January 30 this year, a nurse and a security guard were assaulted at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, and on July 19, a similar incident occurred at the main hospital.
Medical staff are facing the dual burden of having to treat patients while also protecting themselves from disruptive individuals.
To address these situations, SNUH has installed emergency bells in emergency rooms and operates a 112 Emergency Direct Call System that connects directly to the police. However, these are reactive rather than preventive measures, highlighting clear limitations.
Kim stated, "Disruptive acts against medical staff in emergency rooms are serious crimes that threaten the lives of others," and emphasized, "SNUH must establish effective preventive measures to ensure the safety of both medical staff and patients."

banaffle@fnnews.com Yoon Hong-jip Reporter