Assaults and verbal abuse against emergency room medical staff increased 21% in three years in South Korea

It has been found that the number of assaults and verbal abuse against medical staff in hospital emergency rooms in South Korea has been increasing every year. On the 1st, Kim Mi-ae, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, presented documents from the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
According to the report, the number of cases in which emergency medical workers were assaulted or harmed in connection with medical procedures in emergency rooms was 585 in 2021, 602 in 2022, and 707 last year, showing a continuous increase over the past three years.
The number of assaults and verbal abuse in emergency rooms that occurred in the first half of this year (January to June) also reached 360. Last year, of the cases of assaults and verbal abuse on medical staff in emergency rooms, 457 cases were verbal abuse, accounting for 65%.
This was the most common type of abuse, with 220 cases, followed by 51 cases of assault, 34 cases of damage to property, and 17 cases of intimidation or use of force. Of the cases of abuse that occurred this year, 243 cases were verbal abuse or abuse, accounting for more than half.
The most common offenses were assault (82 cases), intimidation (21 cases), damage to property (9 cases), and intimidation or use of force (6 cases). Article 12 of the Emergency Medical Care Act prohibits anyone from interfering with the treatment of emergency medical personnel through assault, intimidation, or use of force.
It stipulates that they must not use force, intimidation or other means to obstruct, or destroy, damage, or occupy facilities or equipment for emergency medical care at medical institutions and other facilities.
Emergency medical personnel may refuse or avoid care if violence occurs or is suspected to occur in the emergency room.
However, these regulations have not easily eradicated verbal and physical abuse of medical staff in emergency rooms.
Rep. Kim Mi-ae said, "Under the current law, if a medical professional is assaulted or threatened,
"We are taking strict measures, but the situation has not improved," he said. "We need to prepare comprehensive measures, such as regularly conducting surveys of the safety of the medical environment."