**Propofol Addiction and Death: Husband Accused of Interfering with Wife’s Autopsy, Causality Not Established**
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Yoon-sun – The head of a well-known hospital in Gangnam, Seoul, who habitually prescribed and administered propofol illegally to dozens of patients, has been handed over to the prosecution.
The Seoul Seongdong Police Station announced on the 8th that a doctor in his 50s, identified as A, has been sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of violating the Narcotics Control Act, the Medical Service Act, and obstructing the autopsy process.
According to the police, Dr. A is accused of administering narcotics, including propofol, hundreds of times to around 30 patients without medical records at his dermatology and plastic surgery hospital in Cheongdam-dong from February last year to April this year.
He also faces charges for altering the position of his wife, who died at home and was awaiting autopsy.
Earlier in April, police responded to a report and discovered Dr. A’s deceased wife, B, at his residence in Seongdong-gu. An autopsy by the National Forensic Service confirmed the cause of death as propofol overdose.
However, investigations revealed no causal relationship between Dr. A and his wife B’s death. Dr. A reportedly stated that he was unaware of his wife’s propofol addiction.
Furthermore, two assistant nurses working at Dr. A’s hospital have also been sent to the prosecution without detention on charges of falsifying medication administration records in the Narcotics Information Management System (NIMS).
Dr. A is known to have closed his dermatology and plastic surgery clinic in Cheongdam-dong, which he operated for nearly 20 years, and is currently practicing at another hospital in the Gangnam area.