Military doctor diagnosed 'No Problem' despite ligament rupture... Soldier files lawsuit

Requested MRI Scan but Was Refused
Filed Complaint for Negligence Causing Injury at Work

A former sergeant in reserve was injured in a finger ligament during military service and requested a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan from a military doctor but was refused, resulting in bone problems. He has filed a complaint against the military doctor on charges of professional negligence causing injury.

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On the 15th, Yonhap News reported that Mr. A, who belonged to an Army unit in Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi Province, filed a complaint with the police against a military doctor on charges of professional negligence causing injury. On December 25, 2022, Mr. A was injured when his right index finger was bent after being hit by a ball while playing futsal at the unit. He received simple treatment at his unit, but the pain did not subside. After a week, he visited the division medical battalion, a higher-level unit, for further treatment. The prescription he received after an X-ray at that time was to wear a cast for two weeks and take anti-inflammatory painkillers.

Mr. A found it strange that his hand was swollen and the abnormal angle of his finger persisted. On February 2, 2023, he visited the Armed Forces Yangju Hospital and requested a detailed diagnosis through MRI or computed tomography (CT) from military doctor B. However, Dr. B diagnosed that the range of motion of Mr. A’s finger joint was normal and that there was no problem using the finger, so he did not accept Mr. A’s request and sent him away.

Eventually, after continuing to serve with the injury during the March 2023 Korea-U.S. joint exercises, Mr. A took leave in April and visited a civilian hospital on his own. The civilian hospital diagnosed that Mr. A’s finger had a ruptured collateral ligament and progressing bone loss, requiring surgery.

Mr. A’s side claims that due to the lack of accurate diagnosis by the military doctor at the early stage of the injury, a situation arose where he had to undergo reconstructive surgery involving removing a ligament from his right wrist and inserting it into the finger, whereas a simple suturing would have sufficed. Mr. A’s father has filed a complaint with the Ministry of National Defense’s Defense Help Call, questioning why a proper initial diagnosis was not made after his son’s surgery.

Additionally, in July of last year, Mr. A filed a complaint with the police against military doctor B on charges of violating the medical law’s 'prohibition of refusal of treatment' clause and professional negligence causing injury. Mr. A’s father said, “Among parents who send their children to the military, there is a widespread saying: ‘When called, they are the nation’s sons; when injured, they are your sons; when dead, who are they?’” He questioned, “If the military medical system is like this, how can the public trust and send their families to the military?”

Meanwhile, military doctors are physicians responsible for treating patients within the military. They serve as commanders of medical operations responsible for patient treatment, evacuation system management, and command of medical units, as well as medical staff officers who provide medical advice and support during unit operations. Through epidemiological investigations and research on military diseases, they contribute to the health promotion of soldiers, preservation of combat power, and advancement of military medicine.