"Reports Contradicting Coverage... Further Verification Needed"
"Prescription Restrictions Due to Some Members' Misconduct Are Excessive"
The Korean Medical Association (KMA) abruptly canceled its plan to report a member doctor involved in a drug use suspicion case involving celebrities to the prosecution.
On the 31st, the KMA stated in a text message sent to reporters, "We have received information that some facts differ from previous reports regarding the drug use suspicion case involving celebrities," adding, "We are canceling today's report to allow for additional fact-checking."
Earlier, the police had booked Doctor A on charges of supplying drugs in the recent drug use suspicion case involving actor Lee Seon-gyun and singer G-Dragon (real name Kwon Ji-yong), among others.
Previously, the police had booked Doctor A on charges of supplying drugs in the drug use suspicion case involving the aforementioned celebrities. It is reported that Doctor A's suspicion was detected during the process of confirming intelligence that drugs were being distributed at a so-called 'membership room salon' in Gangnam, Seoul. The establishment, frequented by actor Lee, is known to cater to high-income clientele.
A KMA official said, "We are inquiring through members but have not yet identified Doctor A. The association is only aware of the situation through media reports," adding, "After receiving information that Doctor A is not a drug distributor, contrary to the reported content, we decided to temporarily suspend actions such as reporting to allow for further verification."
KMA: Restricting Prescriptions Due to Some Members' Misconduct Is Excessive
Meanwhile, as the government declared a war on drugs earlier this year and the police intensified crackdowns, it has been revealed that some medical institutions are at the center of socially controversial drug-related crimes. Recently, an actor Yoo Ah-in, who was prosecuted for habitual propofol abuse, had a doctor who prescribed the drug to him arrested on charges of self-prescribing propofol.
According to the Board of Audit and Inspection, over the past five years, about 37,000 doctors have self-prescribed narcotics, with approximately 118,000 prescriptions issued. Among them, 44 doctors self-prescribed narcotics more than 50 times a year, and 12 doctors did so over 100 times. This has sparked accountability debates within and outside the medical community, with concerns that doctors are becoming illegal distributors of medical narcotics.
On the 30th, Seo Jeong-sook, a pharmacist and member of the People Power Party, introduced a bill prohibiting medical professionals handling narcotics, including doctors, from prescribing or administering narcotics or psychotropic drugs to themselves or their families. The bill includes penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment or fines up to 100 million won for violations. Previously, Choi Yeon-sook, a nurse and member of the People Power Party, had also introduced a similar bill banning doctors from self-prescribing narcotics.
However, the KMA opposes restricting doctors' narcotics prescription rights due to the misconduct of some members, calling it an excessive measure. A KMA official said, "While we believe strict measures are necessary to address the recent surge in medical narcotics issues, the problem of some doctors should not be overgeneralized," adding, "We are concerned that this could unjustly deprive doctors and their families of their right to treatment and excessively limit doctors' medical practice and prescription rights."
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