"Why Won't You Treat My Brother First?" Disturbance in ER During Cardiac Arrest Patient Care

Verbal Abuse for Treating Patient Who Arrived Later Than Family First
That Patient Had 'Cardiac Arrest'... Emergency Room Treatment Priority
Even After Explanation, "Watch Your Words" Riot... Sent to Prosecution

A guardian who caused a disturbance in a hospital emergency room for prioritizing treatment of a patient who arrived later than their own family member was referred to the prosecution.

According to the police on the 13th, Mr. A is suspected of obstructing medical staff in the emergency room of a hospital in Gangwon Province on the 1st of last month. At that time, Mr. A’s older brother, who had collapsed in a sauna, was first transported to the emergency room, but Mr. A verbally abused the medical staff because they prioritized treating a patient in cardiac arrest who arrived later.

Mr. A shouted at the medical staff, "You left (the patient) unattended for 15 minutes. You neglected him. He suddenly collapsed and was brought here by ambulance. Then you say a cardiac arrest patient came..."

Although the medical staff explained, "The principle is to treat the most critical patients first," Mr. A’s protests did not stop, and eventually the medical staff reported the incident to the police.

However, even in front of the police, Mr. A pointed his finger at the medical staff and argued, "Watch your words. If you are a doctor, how could you speak to a guardian like that? Have you ever spoken to a guardian like that, doctor?"

Disturbance in Emergency Room Lasted Over an Hour... Police Dispatched

Mr. A’s disturbance continued for over an hour, forcing other patients to wait helplessly. However, it was reported that the patient in question showed no abnormalities in detailed examinations and was transferred to another hospital. Also, the medical staff had already completed the initial examination of the patient.

The emergency medicine doctor at the hospital stated, “Usually complaints end at just that, but this was the first time in my life I experienced something like this,” and added, “We could not neglect a seriously ill patient.”

According to the 'Korean Emergency Patient Severity Classification Criteria' within the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s 'Enforcement Rules of the Emergency Medical Service Act,' 'cardiac arrest' is classified as Grade 1, the highest priority for emergency room treatment.

A police official said, "Based on the emergency room’s closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage and testimonies from the victim and witnesses, we judged that the charges were valid and referred the case to the prosecution."