Kang Ki-yoon Proposes Recurrence Prevention Law Following Nurse Negligence Causing Death of 13-Month-Old Infant at Jeju Hospital

Specific System Improvements and Measures to Minimize Medical Accidents
Ensuring Dedicated Patient Safety Staff Fulfill Core Duties and Establishing an Education System

Assemblyman Kang Ki-yoon.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Wook] In April, a nurse at a hospital in Jeju administered a drug dose more than 50 times the emergency treatment prescribed by a doctor to a 13-month-old infant who visited with respiratory distress, resulting in the infant's death. Related to this incident, Assemblyman Kang Ki-yoon has drawn attention by proposing a 'Recurrence Prevention Act.'

On the 6th, Assemblyman Kang officially proposed the 'Patient Safety Act Amendment' to prevent recurrence of infant deaths that occurred at Jeju National University Hospital.

This amendment clearly defines the duties of the existing dedicated patient safety personnel, establishes a direct verification system to ensure proper execution of related tasks, and sets up an in-hospital patient safety education system, including specific measures to minimize medical accidents.

According to current law, general hospitals with 500 or more beds must have at least two dedicated personnel. These dedicated personnel are responsible for promptly notifying patients and the government in the event of medical accidents and responding accordingly to ensure patient safety.

However, in medical settings, dedicated personnel often handle multiple tasks simultaneously, and there has been criticism regarding the effectiveness due to lack of education on their roles.

In fact, the 13-month-old infant who died from a medical accident at Jeju National University Hospital in March did not receive prompt emergency treatment due to the absence of dedicated personnel roles.

In response, Assemblyman Kang said, "Some medical institutions have only appointed dedicated patient safety personnel but have hardly allowed them to perform their proper roles. This contradicts the original intent of the Patient Safety Act, so I proposed this bill to correct the situation."

He added, "Unfortunate incidents where patients are not protected due to the absence of dedicated personnel roles during medical accidents must never recur. I will continue to prioritize patient safety and lead efforts to improve systems for patient protection."

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