Police investigate doctor for hiring unlicensed surgical assistant

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Yonhap) — A plastic surgeon at Ewha Womans University Medical Center in southwest Seoul is under investigation on suspicion of allowing a layperson to participate in his surgery, police said Wednesday.

The doctor, whose identity is being kept secret, is accused of inviting a sales representative of an artificial joint manufacturer to the operating room of Ewha Health Center in July to perform an artificial joint operation with him, according to the Seoul Gangseo Police Station.

According to reports, the medical center has referred the doctor to its disciplinary committee following its own investigation into a possible violation of medical law.

“This case is not about a substitute operation, but about the assistant role of an employee of the medical device company during the operation. The professor performed the operation for about five hours,” said an official at the medical center.