Comedian Park Na-rae is embroiled in controversy after former managers alleged she received illegal medical treatment from a so-called "injection aunt." "Injection aunt" is slang for a person who illegally injects pharmaceuticals and the like. Person A, the injection aunt who allegedly supplied Park with drugs such as antidepressants, said on her social media that she was being unfairly maligned, but the medical community is raising multiple concerns.
◇Did she obtain a proxy prescription for the psychotropic drug "clonazepam"?
Entertainment outlet Dispatch reported on the 6th that "Park Na-rae received multiple medical procedures and prescriptions from an 'injection aunt' who has no medical license." The outlet claimed Park received and took depression treatments such as antidepressants that require a prescription, delivered by the injection aunt without a prescription.
In the photo of a medication pouch included in the report, there are "clonazepam (left in the photo)," a psychotropic drug prescribed for panic disorder, anxiety disorder, and certain seizures (convulsions), and "trazodone (right in the photo, capsule form)," an antidepressant widely used as a sleep aid.
Among them, clonazepam is a psychotropic drug for which proxy prescriptions as well as telemedicine prescriptions are not allowed. Psychotropic drugs act on the central nervous system and can cause physical or psychological dependence when misused or abused, posing serious harm to the body, so only in-person prescriptions are allowed.
Kim Taek-woo, president of the Korean Medical Association Organization (KMA), said in a phone interview with ChosunBiz on the evening of the 7th, "We need to determine whether the drug in question was actually prescribed by proxy or delivered without a prescription," adding, "If a proxy prescription was issued for a psychotropic drug, that is clearly illegal."
Health authorities strictly regulate psychotropic drugs by law. Kim said, "If prescription records and drug storage are handled carelessly or there are errors in the cash-in and cash-out logs for psychotropic drugs, that is punishable," adding, "Given the strict characteristics of pharmaceutical distribution and prescription management, getting to the bottom of this case should not be difficult." Because the distribution path of psychotropic drugs—from pharmaceutical company → wholesaler → medical institution or pharmacy—is fully recorded, health authorities can verify the prescription route if they choose.
◇Injection aunt says "graduate of Inner Mongolia medical school"; whether she has a domestic license is the crux
The Medical Service Act bans unlicensed medical practice.
Person A, the injection aunt at the center of the controversy, said on her social media on the 7th, "About 12 to 13 years ago, I studied hard while traveling back and forth to a place called Inner Mongolia and even served as the youngest professor, the first among both locals and foreigners, at Inner Mongolia Baotou Medical University Hospital." She said, "Thanks to the consideration of the hospital director and the plastic surgery department Director and the proactive help of the Inner Mongolia party secretary, we were even able to attract a Korean plastic surgery center," arguing she was being treated unfairly.
However, in the medical community, doubts are being raised that A may not be a doctor, along with calls to verify whether A holds a domestic medical license. The group "Doctors for a Fair Society," composed of young doctors and medical students, claimed, "A medical school called Inner Mongolia Baotou Medical University does not exist."
Former KMA president Lim Hyun-taek mentioned A's actual identity on his social media and asked detailed questions about the medical institution, medical school, and training, saying, "What is the number on your medical license issued by the Minister of Health and Welfare?"
◇Right after telemedicine was legalized, controversy erupts: "More drug misuse and abuse"
This controversy erupted right after the "Medical Service Act amendment to institutionalize telemedicine" passed the National Assembly's plenary session on the 2nd. Some in the medical community warn that, as recent controversies over celebrities picking up sleeping pills by proxy and proxy prescriptions for prescription-only drugs show, telemedicine risks being degraded and abused as a simple conduit to obtain drugs easily. The amendment set the principle that telemedicine be conducted at clinics, not hospitals, and primarily for returning patients, not first-time patients.
KMA president Kim Taek-woo voiced concern that "(if telemedicine becomes more common) side effects like this case could occur more frequently." He noted, "As confirmed during the telemedicine pilot program, demand is increasingly concentrating not solely on treatment purposes but on non-reimbursable pharmaceuticals or drugs that are easy to prescribe for reasons like 'I don't want to go to the hospital' or 'I'm busy and it's a hassle.'" Previously, the KMA argued that telemedicine should be limited to regions with low medical access, such as remote islands and mountainous areas.
Although the telemedicine amendment bans prescriptions for narcotics and the like, specific standards such as patient eligibility, regional restrictions, and lists of restricted drugs remain in subordinate regulations. Kim said, "Subordinate regulations and system operations must be strict." The point is that if the detailed laws and systems are lax, various problems may arise due to consumers or businesses exploiting loopholes.
Kim said, "The KMA will soon create 'standard clinical guidelines on telemedicine.'" He added, "As for administrative penalties and disciplinary measures, that is something that needs to be discussed with authorities such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare." Meanwhile, the KMA and the Korean Health and Medical Workers' Union are calling for a "ban on wholesale drug sales by telemedicine intermediary platforms."