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South Korean police apprehended nearly 300 doctors for drug-related offenses this year, government data showed Sunday, highlighting the need for stricter monitoring of medical professionals who have access to controlled substances.
A total of 294 doctors were caught for drug-related offenses in the first 10 months of this year, according to the Korean National Police Agency's data submitted to Rep. Yang Bu-nam of the main opposition Democratic Party.
Drug offenders here are those involved in directly administering or prescribing drugs improperly as well as producing, distributing or possessing illegal substances such as psychotropic drugs and cannabis.
With around 30 doctors apprehended per month on average, observers noted that this year's count could surpass last year's figure of 323 to reach an all-time high. The number of health care workers nabbed for drug-related offenses was 186 in 2020, 212 in 2021 and 186 in 2022.
While doctor drug abuse is not a new problem, experts note that the access doctors have to controlled substances puts them at a higher risk of misuse.
Yoon Heung-hee, a global addiction rehabilitation counseling professor at Namseoul University, pointed out that medical professionals such as doctors, dentists and traditional medical doctors are legally allowed to handle narcotic substances, which puts them in situations where they could abuse their positions.
Recently, Seoul Seongdong Police Station arrested a doctor for self-administering propofol, also known as "milk injection" because of its white color, at his hospital with an acquaintance.
Propofol is a sedative used mostly during cosmetic procedures or when people receive an endoscopy. It was classified as a psychoactive drug here in 2011, meaning use without a proper prescription is a criminal offense.
In another case, a prominent doctor in Seoul's Gangnam district was referred to prosecution earlier this month for habitually prescribing and administering propofol illegally to dozens of his patients from February 2023 to April 2024 at his dermatology and plastic surgery clinic.
Officials found in a related development that the doctor's wife had died in their home from an apparent propofol overdose, according to the results of an autopsy.
