A nursing hospital in Incheon's Jung District is seen on June 18. Medical staff at the facility performed a leg amputation on a hospitalized woman in her 80s on June 8. Yonhap
A practicing physician has spoken out about a controversial case in which a nursing hospital in Incheon amputated the leg of an elderly patient and later disposed of it improperly, saying the medical staff had tried to save a patient with nowhere else to turn, rather than providing negligent care.
The case gained national attention after the severed leg, which had been mistakenly discarded as recyclable waste instead of medical waste by a volunteer worker, was discovered at a recycling facility. While the disposal error sparked outrage, the physician argued that the medical staff's efforts to treat the patient should also be taken into account.
Yang Sung-gwan, an author and family medicine specialist at Uijeongbu Paik Hospital, said in a Facebook post Monday that he initially found the reports difficult to believe.
"When I first heard about the nursing hospital leg amputation case, I could hardly believe it myself," Yang said. "How could a leg be amputated in a hospital room rather than an operating room and with scissors rather than a scalpel?"
