Claims of Various Misconduct Including Sexual Harassment and Unfair Dismissal
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters, Reporter Yoon Jamin] A current doctor in Gwangju posted a message on the Blue House National Petition accusing the hospital where he works of various misconducts, including 'false and excessive medical treatment,' sexual harassment, and unfair dismissal.
On the Blue House National Petition site on the 24th, a post titled "I am reporting my hospital that consumes taxpayers' money through false and excessive medical treatment and conceals sexual violence within the hospital," was uploaded by A, who identified himself as a thoracic surgeon.
A stated, "Last April, I started working at a hospital, agreeing with the representative director's idea of prioritizing patient care and striving to develop the hospital," but added, "However, part of this hospital was a place that created fake patients for false medical treatment and engaged in soliciting health checkup patients."
He claimed that the hospital solicited patients coming for health checkups by telling them they could benefit from actual expense insurance and systematically attracted fake patients and conducted false medical treatments.
A said, "The hospital wrote symptoms that were not even in the charts of persuaded patients and performed excessive treatment on these false symptoms," adding, "They systematically admitted actual expense insurance patients and even pretended to be hospitalized by going home to sleep for a night after admission procedures."
He questioned how patients who were coughing and had abdominal pain could go home to sleep for a night.
He also claimed, "The hospital's excessive treatment is planned and carried out on a large scale," stating, "Sales representatives plan actual expense insurance treatment schedules, doctors write false symptoms, and excessive treatment begins."
Furthermore, he said, "Even a simple internet search for cough reveals the necessary tests and treatment process. Not only new doctors but also ordinary people know this, so it is incomprehensible that specialists provide such treatment. Either the specialist exams are a mess, or the doctor's conscience has disappeared. This is something the Medical Association should address."
He mentioned that there was absolute power within the hospital and issues such as sexual harassment, and although he approached the Financial Supervisory Service, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, National Ombudsman, and the National Police Agency with these matters, the only response he received was to "wait."
A said, "Sales representatives manipulated the bodies and minds of dozens of people in the treatment space, but the hospital side turned a blind eye," and "The union tried to resist, but all the officials who encouraged this were unfairly dismissed."
He continued, "Even the police I last visited said that although there is circumstantial evidence, if patients insist they were really sick and doctors insist all those tests were necessary, there is no way to proceed," adding, "I played recordings of patients who said 'there were no symptoms' and shared opinions from fellow specialists about excessive treatment, but the police only said 'there is no way.'"
He said, "I have been a doctor for 20 years and a thoracic surgeon for 16 years, witnessing numerous medical accidents, but at the time, I was weak-hearted and scared of the world, and I closed my eyes fearing social ostracism," adding, "Now, if I retreat any further, I won't be able to hold my head up in front of my children, so I am revealing the truth."
He also said, "There are hospital officials who were dismissed after trying to eliminate false checkups and excessive treatment and change the hospital, young nurses who came in unaware of this structure but are trembling from sexual harassment and crying in disappointment at the hospital atmosphere that destroys their self-esteem, and sick and fragile patients who receive insincere treatment and are ignored without knowing anything," adding, "I am afraid at this very moment as I reveal this. But even now, there are patients suffering and getting sick because of a medical reality blinded by profit."
He said, "I want to let people know that there are many doctors who work extremely hard. I hope the Medical Association will rise to eradicate openly occurring false and excessive medical treatments through this incident," adding, "The hospital side hired a lawyer and publicly stated that there is no legal issue with false and excessive treatment and that they will hold me personally responsible. I am preparing, so please protect the remaining fragile nurses and patients."
Currently, A has been suspended from his position and notified of standby duty at the hospital.
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