Cheong, on Petition for Mandatory Operating Room CCTV: "Working to Ensure Patient Safety"

Demand to Ban Medical Practitioners Under Litigation
"Prohibition Before Guilty Verdict Causes Unjust Victims"

A CCTV wearing a white hat is glaring. Its mouth dropped open in surprise at what it saw. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

On the 18th, the Blue House announced that it will strive to ensure patient safety in response to a national petition requesting measures to prevent medical accidents, including the mandatory installation of CCTV in operating rooms.

Kim Gang-ryul (38), the father of a child who died after receiving treatment following a tonsil surgery at Yangsan Busan National University Hospital, posted a petition on July 21 titled, "A father's last wish after losing his 6-year-old son due to a medical accident during tonsil surgery. Please create strong laws to prevent medical accidents and respond firmly so that no more unjust deaths occur."

He petitioned for strong legislation to prevent medical accidents, including ▲mandatory installation of CCTV in operating rooms ▲prohibition of medical practitioners involved in ongoing medical accident lawsuits from practicing medicine ▲legislation requiring medical records to be completed within 24 hours ▲establishment of a dedicated investigation department for medical accidents. This petition received over 216,000 signatures, meeting the criteria for an official response.

Kang Do-tae, the 2nd Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, introduced the differing opinions between patient groups and the medical community regarding the mandatory installation of CCTV in operating rooms in his response posted on the Blue House National Petition website, stating, "The government is in the process of careful consideration."

Vice Minister Kang noted that about 14% of medical institutions with operating rooms have CCTV installed inside and said, "We will do our best to develop reasonable alternatives to prevent unfortunate incidents from recurring."

He also mentioned that two medical law amendment bills focusing on the mandatory installation of CCTV in operating rooms have been submitted to the National Assembly, emphasizing, "The government will actively participate in the legislative discussion process and strive to prevent patient harm and protect their rights."

Regarding the demand to prohibit medical practitioners involved in medical accident lawsuits from practicing medicine, Vice Minister Kang stated, "If a blanket ban is imposed before guilt or innocence is confirmed, there could be unjust victims, and it may violate the principle of presumption of innocence," indicating that further discussion is needed.

He added, "The government sympathizes with the petitioner’s intention that medical records should be prepared promptly and accurately," and responded, "We will prepare improvement measures to ensure that medical records can be completed without delay within a reasonable scope."

Concerning the establishment of a dedicated investigation department for medical accidents, he said, "Considering the expertise and specificity of the medical field, we are continuously recruiting personnel with specialized knowledge and experience capable of analyzing related materials such as medical records and judging their appropriateness."

A petition posted last month on the Blue House National Petition Board by the family of a 6-year-old child who died last year while receiving treatment after a tonsillectomy at Yangsan Pusan National University Hospital.

Meanwhile, according to petitioner Kim, his son (then 5 years old) underwent tonsil removal surgery last October at the pediatric ward of Yangsan Busan National University Hospital.

After his son was unable to eat properly following the surgery, Kim visited a local otolaryngology clinic, and based on the doctor’s statement that "the surgery at Yangsan Busan National University Hospital was excessive," he admitted his son to another general hospital. Subsequently, on the second day of hospitalization, Kim’s son vomited blood, lost consciousness, and went into cardiac arrest.

Kim explained that he went to Yangsan Busan National University Hospital immediately after the cardiac arrest, but the hospital did not accept his son, causing a delay of about 30 minutes. Although his son was transferred to another hospital, he never regained consciousness, was declared brain dead, and passed away last March.

Kim added that although Yangsan Busan National University Hospital is the regional emergency medical center for Gyeongnam and the only pediatric emergency specialized center in Gyeongnam, the 119 ambulance carrying his son was refused admission five minutes before arrival. It has been confirmed that the doctor at the hospital has since resigned.