Doctor under police probe for hiring unlicensed surgery assistant

A plastic surgeon at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in southwestern Seoul has been under investigation on suspicion of allowing a non-medical person to participate in his surgery, police said Wednesday. The doctor, whose identity was withheld, is accused of inviting a salesperson of an artificial joint manufacturer to the Ewha medical center's operating room in July to jointly perform an artificial joint surgery, according to the Seoul Gangseo Police Station. The medical center has reportedly referred the doctor to its disciplinary committee after its own investigation due to his or her possible violation of the medical law. "The case is not about proxy surgery, but about an assistant role by the medical device company employee during the surgery. The professor performed the surgery for about five hours," said an official at the medical center. Source: Yonhap News Agency