'Resident Assaulted with Soju Bottle' University Hospital Professor Returns After 6 Months

Hospital: "No specialists to replace in the special department"
Health and Medical Workers' Union: "If return is possible, moral hazard increases"

A professor at a university hospital in Jeonbuk, who was barred from practicing medicine at the hospital where he was employed after hitting a resident doctor on the head with a soju bottle during a company dinner, has returned after six months, sparking controversy. The hospital stated that they had no choice as there was no other doctor to replace the problematic professor.

According to a Yonhap News report on the 24th, the hospital recently held a specialist committee meeting and decided to approve Professor A's request for concurrent employment, notifying the university of this decision on the 20th. It is known that more than half of the nine doctors on the specialist committee supported Professor A's concurrent employment approval. Professor A, who belongs to the university, is an adjunct faculty member authorized to practice at the hospital, so the final personnel authority lies with the university.

Professor A was excluded from work due to an incident on September 29 of last year, where he, intoxicated at a department dinner, struck resident doctor B on the head with a soju bottle. He received disciplinary actions including a one-month suspension and removal of concurrent employment from the university, and a six-month suspension from duty from the hospital. Removal of concurrent employment is a severe disciplinary action prohibiting university professors from practicing at the hospital. At the time, resident B did not report Professor A to the police but reportedly requested disciplinary action from the university.

Subsequently, the university reversed its previous decision by approving the concurrent employment the day after receiving the request from the hospital on the 21st. The university stated that there was no procedural problem as the request was made through an agreement with the affiliated hospital.

A university official told Yonhap News, "The professor's suspension period has ended, and since the matter went through the hospital's specialist committee review, we decided to approve the concurrent employment." A hospital official added, "Professor A is in a specialized medical field, making it difficult to find a replacement specialist. Recruiting a new specialist is not an easy task, and without him, it would be difficult to respond to emergency situations." The official further explained, "We judged that Professor A has reflected on his actions and has had sufficient time for self-reflection."

Upon learning of Professor A's return, the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union (KHMU) criticized the decision. A KHMU representative said, "There is a strong belief nationwide that doctors, who are in short supply, can return as soon as they have time, regardless of any crimes or misconduct, which leads to serious moral hazard. Regardless of skill, simply holding a medical license makes them irreplaceable personnel," they pointed out.

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