Health ministry probes clinics over chelation injection allegations

The Ministry of Health and Welfare said Tuesday it will conduct its fifth joint administrative investigation into abnormal and fraudulent medical practices, targeting two clinics suspected of administering chelation injections improperly. The probe runs through Nov. 16.

Chelation therapy involves administering agents that bind to heavy metals such as lead to accelerate their removal from the body, and is used in the treatment of heavy metal poisoning.

The investigation follows allegations raised at the National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee's national audit on Oct. 27. The two clinics were selected based on tip-offs related to those allegations.

According to the tip-offs, some clinics tested workers' blood lead levels before administering chelation injections up to five times, then allegedly sought to lower those levels ahead of occupational health screenings scheduled for February or March the following year — effectively concealing work-related illnesses.

Investigators will focus on four areas: the medical basis for administering chelation injections, including whether blood lead levels were tested per patient and what symptoms or diagnoses were recorded; the appropriateness of the treatment in terms of the type of drug used, dosage, number of injections and intervals; whether pre-existing conditions such as kidney disease were checked beforehand; and the relationship between the injections and occupational health screenings.

Investigators will also review medical records to determine whether the stated purpose of the injections matches the actual treatment provided and whether patients were adequately informed of the purpose and content of the injections. The probe will additionally examine potential violations of relevant laws, including patient solicitation, improper billing, false or exaggerated medical advertising, and unreported non-covered services identified during on-site inspections.

Based on the findings, the investigation team plans to seek advice from the Korean Medical Association on the appropriateness of the medical practices. The ministry said the consultation will help strengthen expert judgment on the adequacy of medical procedures and inform future administrative investigations into abnormal practices such as overtreatment.

Kwak Sun-heon, head of the ministry's joint investigation team on abnormal and fraudulent medical practices, said medicine exists to protect patients' health and lives and must not be used to distort workers' health screening results or conceal occupational illnesses. "If inappropriate administration of injections without medical basis or abnormal conduct at medical facilities is confirmed, we will work with relevant agencies to respond strictly," Kwak said.