“반구대병원 수용자들 전원하면 또 목숨 위협”…인권위에 긴급구제 신청

In response to the mass death at Uljuang Hospital, a coalition of 30+ civil society groups have requested emergency protective measures from the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Human Rights Commission) for the patients currently admitted. This protest was held at the Seoul Central District Human Rights Commission on November 11th and the coalition, called the "Uljuang Mental Hospital Joint Action Committee", led by its chairperson Shin Seok-chol and vice-chairman Han Geul, demanded that "the decision to transfer all admitted patients to another mental hospital without consulting their wishes is merely a continuation of another long-term placement and a repeat infringement of human rights."

The coalition further urged the Human Rights Commission to immediately form an emergency action committee to protect the lives and safety of the remaining admitted patients. Upon the conclusion of the press conference, the coalition submitted an emergency protection request to the Human Rights Commission. The emergency protection system is a measure to provide temporary protection to the life, body and rights of the victim when there is a significant possibility that human rights violations or discrimination will continue after the decision to terminate has been made and it would be difficult to recover the damage if left unaddressed.

The coalition submitted this request for 182 admitted patients at Uljuang Hospital as of August 2nd, designating hospital director Kim Jae-min, Uljuang County Health Office chief, and the mayors of Ulsan and Busan as the "protection agents". Uljuang Hospital, despite being based in Ulsan, operates under the umbrella of the corporation Dongyang Corporation, which is based in Busan.

After suffering a second death in its own ward due to the death of a patient with severe developmental disabilities, Uljuang Hospital announced its emergency closure plan on the same day and informed the Uljuang County Health Office that it would continue to operate the hospital only until September 3rd. Among the patients admitted to the hospital, 100+ are developmental disability patients, which makes up more than half of the total.

The coalition urged the Human Rights Commission to take immediate action to address the following urgent issues before the closure: (1) a collective transfer of all admitted patients, (2) preservation of evidence, (3) establishment of a civil joint rescue team, (4) provision of appropriate medical, dietary and clothing measures for the admitted patients, (5) individual re-evaluation of the necessity of admission before discharge, (6) confirmation of the individual wishes of each patient, (7) public support for inpatient care for severely disabled patients and confirmation of self-initiated self-care, (8) prioritization of independent living and coordination of resources nationwide, and (9) continuity of independent living after discharge.

The attendees of the press conference expressed their concern that the hospital's plan to transfer all admitted patients to another facility is merely a form of "re-admission" rather than a humane approach. This prompted some attendees to question why the government continues to ignore the plight of the most vulnerable and marginalized members of society, even after witnessing two deaths within its own facility.

The coalition also demanded that the hospital cease all CCTV surveillance and disclose all medical and care records, as well as the isolation and restraining records, to the patients and their representatives, as they fear that once the patients are gone, there will be no trace of what happened or who is responsible.