The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that, in connection with the recent allegations that a foreign medical trainee performed surgery alone, participants in the domestic training program for Middle Eastern medical personnel are not allowed to perform medical procedures without the presence of a supervising specialist.
The ministry issued an explanatory note on the 14th, saying, "The domestic training program for Middle Eastern medical personnel is operated in accordance with the Medical Service Act and related notices," and added, "Trainees may participate in medical procedures only within the approved scope."
According to the ministry, the "domestic training for Middle Eastern medical personnel" is a Korea–Middle East health care cooperation project that has been promoted since 2014 to showcase the excellence of Korea's medical care and expand cooperation in the health care sector. It stipulates that foreign medical license holders may perform limited medical procedures during training courses for education and research purposes. However, they must obtain approval from the Minister of Health and Welfare and may perform medical procedures only within the approved scope.
Police launched an investigation after allegations surfaced that foreign medical staff staying in Korea for training purposes performed surgeries alone for extended periods in operating rooms at some large hospitals, including Severance.
The ministry said, "Even approved trainees are not allowed to perform medical procedures alone," and explained, "Trainees may participate in medical procedures only within the approved scope, after obtaining prior consent from the patient, and in the presence of the training supervising specialist or a collaborating specialist designated by the training supervising specialist."
It added, "The domestic training program for foreign medical personnel is operated with patient safety as the top priority," and said, "Depending on the outcome of the investigation, we will take necessary measures and strengthen systems and oversight to ensure that the Medical Service Act and notices related to limited medical procedures are thoroughly observed in the field."