Director Jang Seok-il has logged no outpatient, inpatient or surgical activity since 2025
Predecessors treated and operated on patients throughout their tenures
Cancer surgeries fell from 68 cases in 2018 to zero since last year
Cardiovascular center built with 1.9 billion won averages 1.6 stent procedures a month
The director of Incheon Metropolitan City Medical Center has recorded zero patient care activity since taking office, a legislative investigation has found.
Critics have raised concerns that the hospital's cancer surgery function has effectively ceased and that a cardiovascular center built with a large public investment is falling well short of expectations.
Data submitted to Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Heo Jong-sik of the National Assembly's Health and Welfare Committee by Incheon city showed that Director Jang Seok-il, who took office in December 2024, had logged no outpatient visits, inpatient care or surgical procedures through August of this year.
The record stands in sharp contrast to those of his predecessors, who treated and operated on patients directly.
Former Director Kim Cheol-su, an internal medicine specialist, saw 784 outpatient cases and handled 2,379 inpatient admissions in 2017, then 749 outpatient cases and 2,904 inpatient admissions in 2018.
Former Director Jo Seung-yeon, a surgeon, treated 669 outpatient cases and 1,576 inpatient admissions between 2019 and 2024, personally performing 103 surgeries during that period — including through the COVID-19 years when the hospital operated as a dedicated infectious disease facility.
While a director is not legally required to see patients, the controversy over Jang's record is unlikely to fade given that staffing and clinical capacity are considered critical challenges for public hospitals.
The hospital's cancer surgery numbers have been declining for years and have now effectively stopped altogether.
Cancer surgery cases fell from 68 in 2018 to 25 in 2019, 10 in 2020 and 8 in 2021.
The figure edged back up to 9 in 2022 but dropped to just 2 each in 2023 and 2024, and no cancer surgeries were performed from 2025 through August of this year.
A free cancer surgery support program for low-income patients has also produced virtually no results.
Beneficiaries fell from 43 in 2018 to 2 in 2023, then hit zero for three consecutive years from 2024 through August of this year.
The trend has prompted concern that the hospital is failing in its core public mission to improve healthcare access for vulnerable populations.
The cardiovascular center, which received around 1.9 billion won in investment, also faces pressure to improve its performance.
The center opened in May last year after the hospital acquired angiography equipment and related facilities, but only 25 stent procedures were performed from May last year through August of this year.
That breaks down to 6 procedures between May and December last year and 19 between January and August this year, for a monthly average of 1.6 procedures over the entire period.
While the procedure count has risen this year, critics say the hospital needs to review its clinical systems and staffing to improve the performance of a specialized center equipped with expensive equipment and facilities.
The center currently operates with one cardiologist, one neurosurgeon and two nurses.
Expanding its specialist workforce, building a stronger patient referral base and strengthening emergency response capacity are seen as the key priorities for revitalizing the center.
Heo called on Incheon city to take active steps to address the director's lack of clinical activity.
"In a public hospital where every medical professional counts, I question whether citizens can accept that the director has not seen a single patient since taking office," Heo said. "The city must find ways to address the halt in cancer surgeries and the poor performance of the cardiovascular center."
gilbert@heraldcorp.com
