'We did CPR for 60 minutes' — after child's death, guardian called police on medical staff: 'We gave our all and were treated like criminals'

Details of a police search and seizure at Ajou University Hospital's pediatric emergency medical center have come to light through the center's director, amid growing backlash from the medical community over the Sept. 30 raid.

Lee Ji-sook, director of the pediatric emergency medical center at Ajou University Hospital, attended a press conference Thursday at the National Assembly organized by the Korean Medical Association and the Korean Society of Pediatric Emergency Medicine to condemn the search, and described what unfolded at the scene last month.

According to Lee, on the day of the search, an infant of about six months old was receiving treatment in the emergency room after suffering seizures for more than an hour. A specialist had administered multiple medications, but the seizures did not stop immediately, and staff were preparing additional interventions and consultations.

Police entered the emergency center after the infant's condition had barely stabilized. Officers spent about an hour and a half going through the computers of emergency room doctors and nurses one by one. The head nurse was also required to respond to document requests in a separate room for about an hour. Lee said nursing duties were inevitably suspended during the process.

The disruption to patient care was not limited to the day of the search. Lee said police had also entered the emergency center to conduct investigative procedures in July, when a child patient died.

Medical staff had performed CPR for about 60 minutes, but the child did not survive. The guardian immediately reported the medical staff to police, and two detectives arrived at the emergency room. Three forensic officers then entered as well, carrying cameras.

Lee said the medical staff had not yet finished attending to the deceased child, and other patients were waiting for care. Staff were required to speak with police while the treatment area — where procedures had not been completed — was being photographed. "Even though the nurses and doctors on the scene were doing everything they could to treat the child, they were treated like criminals," Lee said.

Lee said the center is willing to cooperate with investigations, but called for procedures and standards that account for the unique nature of emergency medical settings. She argued that police must establish separate investigative guidelines to ensure that medical staff are not pulled away from treating other emergency patients during an investigation.

"We do not want doctors and nurses practicing medicine while feeling humiliated or under pressure," Lee said, urging police to "understand the unique nature of emergency medical settings and establish investigative rules so that pediatric emergency care can continue while protecting physicians' right to practice and patients' right to life and safety."