Controversy Triggered by Verbal Abuse... Ajou University Trauma Center at a Crossroads

Conflict between Lee Guk-jong and hospital over Regional Trauma Center intensifies as verbal abuse revealed
Professor Lee announces "I will resign as Trauma Center Director"... Increased attention on Ajou University Hospital Trauma Center operations

Ajou University Hospital Gyeonggi Southern Region Trauma Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Dae-yeol] Professor Lee Guk-jong of Ajou University Hospital, who leads the Gyeonggi Southern Regional Trauma Center, has announced his intention to step down from the trauma center, sparking intense controversy over its future operational direction. Conflicts between the hospital and the trauma center management have persisted for years, and Professor Lee explained that he believes it is appropriate for him to withdraw from managing the center to prevent further harm to its members. The controversy, which erupted after the disclosure of verbal abuse by Ajou University Medical Center Director Yoo Hee-seok towards Professor Lee in the past, appears to be affecting the very existence of the country's largest trauma center.

Although the verbal abuse directed at Professor Lee occurred in the past, the dysfunction of the Gyeonggi Southern Regional Trauma Center has been ongoing for several years. According to sources inside and outside the hospital, Professor Lee had expressed negative views, both directly and indirectly, to the hospital even before Ajou University Hospital applied for the government-designated regional trauma center selection. Regional trauma centers are equipped with personnel and facilities to provide timely treatment for severe trauma patients caused by traffic accidents or falls, and since 2014, 14 centers have been operating nationwide. Ajou University Hospital initially failed in the 2012 application but reapplied and was selected the following year.

Professor Lee Guk-jong of Ajou University Hospital, who appeared as a witness at the Gyeonggi Province National Assembly audit in October last year. At that time, Professor Lee criticized the hospital for not properly using the budget allocated for increasing nursing staff. <이미지출처:연합뉴스>

From the early days, operating the center was challenging. Senior hospital management, responsible for hospital finances, reportedly expressed dissatisfaction due to significant losses incurred with each patient admitted and complaints about helicopter noise. Professor Lee has consistently voiced that although the trauma center staff was insufficient, the center was barely operated based on the 'sacrifices' of specialists and nurses. Recently, overlapping issues such as the budget received for increasing nursing staff being only about half of the initially expected amount, and the accumulation of incidents where patients had to be turned away due to lack of bed allocation, caused Professor Lee's dissatisfaction to explode. It is said that he repeatedly conveyed to the hospital that it would be better to return the regional trauma center project or that he himself would leave the trauma center.

The Gyeonggi Southern Regional Trauma Center has a total of 100 beds, including 40 intensive care unit beds, making it the largest in the country except for Busan National University Hospital (134 beds), which operated a trauma center before the regional trauma center project. Due to the large number of beds, the wide jurisdiction, and the large population, the trauma center staff led by Professor Lee have always suffered from overwork, according to him. Some worked over 380 hours a month or were unable to leave work the next day due to lack of substitutes even after working overtime.

Since the center was not operated with a proper system in place, negative views dominate regarding whether the center will function properly if Professor Lee steps down. As Professor Lee put it, treatment for severe trauma patients in Korea has so far depended not on a system but on the dedication of individual members of the center. Since the government started the regional trauma center project in 2012, no center has ever returned its project rights. After the recent verbal abuse controversy surfaced, Ajou University Hospital has maintained its stance to continue the trauma center project as is.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.