A Man in His 50s Unable to Find a Hospital Ahead of the Collective Strike... Saved by Hospital Director's Surgery

Cho Seung-yeon, Director of Incheon Medical Center, Performs Emergency Surgery Personally
"Doctors Ultimately Gain Strength by Being Beside Patients"

Amid growing confusion ahead of the collective medical strike scheduled for the 18th, a story has emerged of a man in his 50s who wandered from hospital to hospital as an emergency patient and was saved by receiving surgery directly from a hospital director.

According to Hambak General Social Welfare Center on the 15th, Mr. A, a man in his 50s living in Incheon, complained of severe abdominal pain around 2 p.m. on the 11th. Mr. A had no family and suffered from dementia, and was a case management subject receiving nursing care support from the welfare center. Accompanied by a caregiver, Mr. A visited a general hospital and was diagnosed with acute appendicitis after examination. At that time, Mr. A’s appendix had ruptured, causing symptoms of intestinal obstruction and peritonitis, requiring urgent surgery.

The surgery was scheduled for the morning of the 12th, but problems arose when Mr. A left the hospital room without permission. Considering that Mr. A showed violent tendencies toward medical staff during his escape, the hospital stated that surgery could not be performed. The hospital provided a medical opinion letter and recommended visiting a university hospital where psychiatric consultation was possible.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The welfare center first visited two tertiary general hospitals in Incheon, but due to the prolonged collective resignation crisis of resident doctors, most hospitals were in difficult situations. Both hospitals showed reluctance, citing the absence of doctors capable of performing the surgery. They expanded their search to the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas in the metropolitan region, but no hospital accepted Mr. A.

At that time, they received a call from Incheon Medical Center to bring the patient. Mr. A’s abdomen was visibly swollen to a severe degree.

Mr. A was finally admitted late on the night of the 12th, and after surgery performed by Director Cho Seung-yeon of Incheon Medical Center around 7 a.m. the next day, he overcame the crisis and is currently recovering in the intensive care unit. A welfare center official said, “We were at our wit’s end because there was no hospital no matter how much we searched, and then we finally received a call,” adding, “We realized the harsh situation caused by the medical sector crisis.”

The Incheon Medical Center initially recommended admission to a tertiary general hospital after assessing Mr. A’s condition, but after hearing the full story, they ultimately accepted the patient. Director Cho told Yonhap News Agency, “Although I don’t perform surgery frequently, I always do it when necessary,” and added, “After hearing the patient’s situation, I just wanted to do my best within my capacity.”

Director Cho, who serves as the president of the National Association of Local Medical Centers, has pointed out regarding the resident doctor exodus caused by the medical school enrollment increase plan, “While it is important to prevent residents from suffering, it does not seem appropriate for professors to leave patients’ sides and respond through protests.” He emphasized, “Doctors ultimately gain strength when they are by the patients’ side,” and added, “There is great concern about the recent indefinite medical strike movement, but please trust the intelligence of the doctors.”