Mandatory Installation of CCTV in Hospital Operating Rooms Starting from the 25th

Starting from the 25th, medical institutions will be required to install closed-circuit television (CCTV) in operating rooms.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on the 22nd that, with the enforcement of the revised Medical Service Act, the installation and operation of CCTV in medical institution operating rooms will be mandatory.

Medical institutions performing surgeries under general anesthesia or sedation (commonly known as sleep anesthesia), where the patient is unconscious, must install CCTV inside the operating room. If requested by the patient or guardian, the surgery must be recorded.

The head of the medical institution receiving a recording request must comply unless there are legally defined grounds for refusal. Grounds for refusal include emergency surgeries, high-risk surgeries, and interference with resident training purposes. In cases of refusal, the reasons must be explained to the patient or guardian in advance and documented and stored.

Recorded footage can only be viewed or provided upon request by investigative or judicial authorities, the Medical Dispute Mediation and Arbitration Agency, or if all individuals recorded consent. Medical institutions must retain the recorded footage for at least 30 days; however, if a request for viewing, provision, or extension of retention is received during this period, the footage must be retained until the reason for the request is resolved.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare plans to support the stable implementation of operating room CCTV by subsidizing installation costs for medical institutions at the hospital level and below, and by strengthening on-site monitoring and communication during the implementation process to ensure smooth enforcement.

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