After Graduating Medical School, Practicing Without a License
Unlicensed Medical Treatment at Over 60 Hospitals Nationwide
Evidence Found of Settlement After Medical Malpractice
A man in his 60s who impersonated a doctor and treated patients for 28 years without a medical license has been prosecuted following a prosecution investigation.
The Criminal Division 2 of Suwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Yang Seon-soon) announced on the 5th that Mr. A (60) was arrested and indicted on the 2nd on charges of forgery of official documents, use of forged official documents, violation of the Medical Crime Control Act (illegal medical practitioner), and fraud.
In addition, eight people including General Hospital Director B and Private Clinic Director C, who employed Mr. A without properly verifying whether he had obtained a medical license and allowed him to perform medical activities under the hospital director's name, were non-custodially indicted on charges including violation of the Medical Crime Control Act (illegal medical practitioner). Mr. A is accused of graduating from medical school without obtaining a medical license and traveling to more than 60 hospitals nationwide to perform medical activities. He is also accused of forging the official document of a medical license and receiving over 500 million won in salary from hospitals that believed him to be a real doctor.
Career introduced by Mr. A, who performed unlicensed medical practice. Photo by Suwon District Prosecutors' Office
Although Mr. A could not perform medical activities without a medical license, he forged medical licenses and appointment letters and was employed by hospitals from 1995. Since he actually attended medical school, the hospital directors who employed him reportedly did not doubt the medical license he presented.
Mr. A was mainly employed on a short-term basis as an "unregistered employed doctor," receiving electronic medical record codes under the hospital director's name, and performed medical treatments and issued prescriptions under the hospital director's name. The prosecution found that the hospitals employing Mr. A committed unregistered medical activities to reduce costs such as employment insurance enrollment.
Photo of a forged medical license and appointment letter by Mr. A Photo by Suwon District Prosecutors' Office
The prosecution investigation also confirmed circumstances where Mr. A caused a medical accident while performing surgery without a license and later reached a settlement.
A prosecution official stated, "For doctors, there is no easy way for the general public to verify the validity of a license, and since the Ministry of Health and Welfare is responsible for issuing licenses, it is difficult for the Korean Medical Association to establish its own system to verify license validity." He added, "We plan to recommend system improvements to the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Medical Association regarding the need for a full survey of medical license status and disclosure of medical license-related information."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
