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nurse at a university hospital in Seoul was caught taking narcotic pain relievers little by little and habitually administering them. It was found that he was hit with these powerful drugs about 10 times a day and worked.
This is the exclusive report by Correspondent Choi Seon-gil.
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In June, a 40-year-old A, a nurse at a university hospital in Seoul, started stealing petidine, a narcotic pain reliever for patients.
A, who worked in a ward for critically ill patients such as cancer patients, administered pethidine to the patient in less than the prescribed amount, and then administered the rest to himself.
Petitidine has side effects that can cause drowsiness, dizziness, and difficulty breathing if taken regularly, so it is used limitedly to relieve the pain of seriously ill patients.
A is known to have taken care of critically ill patients while taking narcotic painkillers with strong side effects.
The crime, which continued for two months, was caught when a colleague, who was suspicious of Mr. A's behavior of taking painkillers, reported it to the hospital.
[Hospital official: We didn't put some of the amount to the patient, and (colleagues) thought it was strange, so we informed it, and we investigated it right away.] The
police, who started the investigation, booked Mr. A for violating the Narcotics Control Act.
As a result of the police investigation, it was revealed that Mr. A was taking up to 10 patient pethidines a day.
It is reported that Mr. A stated that he started taking medication to relieve stress due to personal circumstances such as high school.
The hospital explained that there was no problem in prescribing painkillers, and it was practically impossible to check the nurses' medication process every time.
The police plan to send the case to the prosecution after investigating whether the hospital has neglected the management along with Mr. A's other crimes.
(Video coverage: Kim Yong-woo, video editing: Yoon Tae-ho, CG: Lee Jong-jeong)