Gyeonggi-do Launches Intensive Investigation into Office-Managed Hospitals Undermining Finances and Public Health

The Gyeonggi-do Special Judicial Police Unit will conduct year-round investigations into illegally established medical institutions.

Gyeonggi Province will conduct year-round investigations into illegally established medical institutions and pharmacies, such as office manager hospitals and proxy pharmacies.

On the 9th, the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Welfare announced that they will carry out year-round crackdowns targeting 'office manager hospitals' and 'proxy pharmacies,' where non-medical personnel or non-pharmacists illegally establish and operate medical institutions and pharmacies by borrowing licenses from doctors or pharmacists.

According to the current Medical Service Act, medical institutions can only be established by ▲ doctors, dentists, Korean medicine doctors, or midwives ▲ the state or local governments ▲ corporations established for medical purposes ▲ non-profit corporations established under civil law or special laws. Under the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act, pharmacies can only be established by pharmacists or Korean medicine pharmacists.

Office manager hospitals degrade the quality of medical services by employing the minimum number of medical personnel to increase profits, and they undermine the National Health Insurance finances through excessive treatment and attracting false patients.

Proxy pharmacies cause harm to public health by encouraging the misuse of pharmaceuticals and violating pharmaceutical sales regulations to generate profits.

Accordingly, the Gyeonggi Special Judicial Police plan to investigate year-round illegal activities such as ▲ illegal establishment and operation of medical institutions and pharmacies by non-medical personnel or non-pharmacists ▲ lending and borrowing of medical personnel or pharmacist licenses ▲ duplicate establishment of medical institutions and pharmacies, and will file charges against offenders and refer them to the prosecution.

Hong Eun-gi, head of the Gyeonggi Province Special Judicial Police for Public Welfare, emphasized, "We will strengthen investigations into illegally established institutions that treat medical care as a means of profit, and do our best to protect the health of residents by eradicating illegal activities that jeopardize their health."

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