Lee Jae-myung: "Doctors rank first in sex crimes among professionals"... Reiterates surgical room CCTV installation

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun, Reporter] Lee Jae-myung, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, voiced a strong call once again for mandatory installation of CCTV in surgical rooms.

Governor Lee stated on the 17th via SNS, "What patients want is minimal protection through 'prevention of intentional violations,'" and pointed out, "Doctors rank first in sex crimes among professionals (police crime statistics for 2015-2019), and in a reality where factory-style surgical delegation and surgical substitution occur, patients awaiting surgery cannot help but feel anxious."

The Governor further stated, "Despite long efforts, the amended bills called the 'three laws for patient protection'—including surgical room CCTV installation, strengthened medical license regulations, and disclosure of administrative punishment medical institution history—have repeatedly failed to pass the legislative threshold," and added critically, "It is absurd that the standard applied to doctors—where lawyers, patent attorneys, certified public accountants, civil servants, and even apartment complex representatives lose their qualifications if sentenced to imprisonment or more—is called 'excessive punishment' and 'infringement of occupational freedom.'"

Governor Lee said, "I hope that the surgical room CCTV bill, which will be discussed again under the jurisdiction of the Health and Welfare Committee on the 23rd, passes without fail so that common sense and democratic principles are upheld."

Below is the full text of Governor Lee Jae-myung's SNS statement.

<What Use Is Politics That Cannot Protect Citizens' Human Rights>
Doctors have a duty to prioritize patients' lives and health above all else and a responsibility to respect patients' human rights and right to know. It is nothing more than exclusive privileged consciousness to oppose surgical room CCTV installation by exaggerating it as an infringement of doctors' inherent authority in an era of transparent information disclosure.
What patients want is minimal protection through 'prevention of intentional violations.' Surgical patients are absolute underdogs in terms of information and have no physical self-defense rights. Doctors rank first in sex crimes among professionals (police crime statistics for 2015-2019), and in a reality where factory-style surgical delegation and surgical substitution occur, patients awaiting surgery cannot help but feel anxious.
A surgical room is not a sanctified space beyond question. If none other than the patient undergoing surgery wishes it, they should be able to objectively know what happens in the surgical room. Even from the perspective of a doctor who conducts surgery normally, CCTV footage is valuable material that can prove legitimacy. This is why some hospitals voluntarily install CCTV in all surgical rooms to restore lost trust.
Despite long efforts, the amended bills called the 'three laws for patient protection'—including surgical room CCTV installation, strengthened medical license regulations, and disclosure of administrative punishment medical institution history—have repeatedly failed to pass the legislative threshold.
In February, the People Power Party suddenly changed its position from what was agreed upon during the standing committee and blocked passage of the Medical Practice Act amendment. The standard applied to doctors—where lawyers, patent attorneys, certified public accountants, civil servants, and even apartment complex representatives lose their qualifications if sentenced to imprisonment or more—is called 'excessive punishment' and 'infringement of occupational freedom.' This is absurd.
Eighty percent of citizens support surgical room CCTV installation. Representing the interests of particular groups in opposition to the will of the sovereign people cannot be the basis of politics. I hope that the surgical room CCTV bill, which will be discussed again under the jurisdiction of the Health and Welfare Committee on the 23rd, passes without fail so that common sense and democratic principles are upheld.