194 Pharmacy-Hospital Colluding, Alternative Prescription Cases Disclosed

Although the hospital-pharmacy split began a year ago, illegal cases, which include alternative prescription without a doctor’s authorization, colluding between medical institution and pharmacy stores, and direct prescriptions filled in a hospital, are continuously occurring.

After investigating 7,000 hospitals and 10,000 pharmacies, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MHW) announced yesterday that 194 cases of violation including 67 alternative prescriptions, 24 colluding, 13 self-prescriptions have been discovered.

In one case of colluding, I hospital in Pusan sent prescriptions through fax or e-mail only to K pharmacy without the patients’ agreement.

H clinic in Taejeon renovated a room as a pharmacy and sent their patients only to this pharmacy under an agreement that the hospital will receive a commission from the pharmacy owner. S clinic in North Kyongsang Province filled out their own prescription without authorization. There has also been a case in which a non-pharmacist illegally prescribed and sold medicine.

The MHW penalized 159 sites by suspending their license, and 24 sites by temporarily closing them down.

Jung Young-Gwan yongari@donga.com