Police requested Friday court warrants to arrest four medical workers on negligent homicide charges for the death of four newborns by a bacterial infection in a local hospital late last year.
The major crime unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said that chief doctor Cho Soo-jin, 45; another doctor only identified by the surname Park; and two other nurses whose identities were withheld have been charged with involuntary manslaughter by neglecting their professional duties.
They are accused of overlooking duties and breaching hygiene rules in the treatment of the premature babies, causing them to get infected with a bacteria that can be fatal to immunocompromised patients.
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(Yonhap) |
On Dec. 16, the four infants died in less than a two-hour period while being treated in the intensive care unit of the Ewha Womans University Hospital in western Seoul. Forensic results later confirmed that their deaths were all caused by the same type of bacteria.
Police believe that the two nurses violated hygiene regulations when they were preparing fluid for injections. The chief doctor and nurse are accused of failing to ensure proper supervision in the intensive care unit.
The forensic findings have suggested the injections of nutritional supplements for the babies were either originally contaminated or became contaminated while being opened and connected to intravenous tubes.
The accused will likely be arraigned early next week, the police added. (Yonhap)
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