SEOUL: Incheon police officials said Friday (June 19) that a leg found last week at a recycling centre had been mistakenly disposed of as recyclable waste by a local hospital, confirming a report submitted by hospital staff two days earlier.
Officials at the Incheon Yeonsu Police Station told reporters that the leg had been amputated from a female patient in her 80s at a nursing hospital in Jung-gu, Incheon.
The leg was initially categorised as medical waste, but a member of the cleaning staff in their 60s discarded it with other waste, thinking it was from a mannequin.
The leg was found at around 2.28pm at the Southern Regional Resource Recovery Centre on June 10, prompting a police investigation.
After an analysis by the National Forensic Service found that the leg was that of an adult, an official at the Jung-gu hospital told police that the leg appears to have come from their facility.
A follow-up analysis by the NFS found that the DNA of the leg matched that of the female patient.
While it was found that the body part was not the result of any foul play, the hospital could still be held accountable for violating Korea's Wastes Control Act.
The law mandates that medical waste be thrown out separately in a government-designated container.
Investigators are looking into whether the relevant legal clauses had been upheld in discarding the amputated leg.
Police are also reviewing the case to see if there had been a violation of the Medical Service Act concerning the amputation of the leg.
There has been an allegation that the hospital in question does not have equipment or facilities to conduct amputation, but the police did not make a definitive comment about the matter.
"We have yet to find a specific clause for (criminal) punishment regarding the Medical Service Act.
"We will consult with the Korean Medical Association, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and lawyers before reaching our conclusion," a police official said.
The official added that testimony from the patient's family revealed they had wanted her to be admitted to the nursing hospital after other hospitals refused to admit her due to her deteriorating condition. - The Korea Herald/ANN
