“My hands are shaking; I can’t treat patients” ... Seven professors at Ajou University Hospital’s pediatric emergency center decide to resign after police raid

[Financial News]  Seven professors at Ajou University Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Medical Center, which was searched by police in connection with the recent death of a child patient, have reportedly expressed their intention to resign.

People Power Party lawmaker Han Ji-a shared the news at a comprehensive audit by the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee on the 27th, saying, “I just spoke with the head of Ajou University Hospital’s pediatric emergency center for the first time.”
Han said, “I hear that the seven professors decided to resign after watching today’s audit. I urged them not to quit, but they reportedly said they couldn’t treat patients within the Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency’s jurisdiction because their hands were shaking.”
At the audit that day, Ham Young-wook, head of the Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency’s Metropolitan Investigation Division, who directed the search of Ajou University Hospital’s pediatric emergency center, appeared as a witness and answered questions from lawmakers of both the ruling and opposition parties.
Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties demanded an apology, saying the search had disrupted medical staff’s ability to treat patients, but Ham repeatedly said only that it was “regrettable.”
Ham said, “I have deep respect for the hard work of medical staff who devote themselves around the clock to protecting people’s lives,” and, “As the person in charge of the investigation, I regret the disruption to care experienced by staff in the pediatric emergency room during the search.” He never uttered the word “apology.”
However, he explained, “The team dedicated to investigating medical accidents consulted with hospital officials in advance and carried out the minimum search necessary in an empty examination room, with a hospital representative present.”

Han argued that claims that patient care had not been disrupted were untrue, saying, “When I asked [the hospital], ‘Would it be possible to get the CCTV footage?’, it seemed that even the hospital was uncomfortable with the idea. They are concerned about causing friction with the police agency that has jurisdiction.”
She added, “This is the power of the police; no one can do anything about it,” and pointed out, “It’s not as if we can search and seize the CCTV ourselves, either, is it?”
Han said, “I hear that yesterday the Southern Police Agency contacted the hospital and told it to submit the full list of medical staff who were on duty on July 15, when the child patient died. I hear that alone made it difficult for the medical staff to provide care.”
She continued, “This would not have happened if Chief Ham had simply apologized. We cannot allow the pediatric emergency center at Ajou University Hospital, the largest hospital in Suwon, to close,” urging Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyung to take action.
Minister Jeong replied, “I will consult further with the National Police Agency.”
Lee Man-hee, chair of the National Assembly’s Health and Welfare Committee, also said, “I will get an accurate understanding of what happened, consult with the committee’s floor leaders from both parties, and outline the committee’s response.”
Earlier, on July 15, a four-month-old infant who was being treated for cyanosis at Ajou University Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Medical Center died. The Gyeonggi Southern Police Agency searched and seized examination rooms and other areas within the center on September 30 to investigate possible medical malpractice, and has since been embroiled in a dispute with the medical community over whether the search was appropriate.
[email protected] An Ga-eul Reporter