South Korea Becomes First Country in the World to Mandate CCTV in Operating Rooms

South Korea Becomes First Country in the World to Mandate CCTV in Operating Rooms

As of September 25, 2023, medical institutions in Korea that operate on unconscious patients for any reason, including anesthesia, will be required to install CCTV in the operating room.

It does not need to be installed in treatment rooms, recovery rooms, etc. where only local anesthesia is performed.

Need to Keep the Footage for At Least 30 Days

If requested by the patient undergoing surgery or their guardian, you must film the surgery and keep the footage for at least 30 days.

The CCTV cameras must be HD-quality or higher and cover the entire operating room without blind spots. They must be set up so that both the patient undergoing surgery and the people participating in the surgery are visible on the screen.

Any Violation?

A violation of the obligation to install and record CCTV shall be punishable by a fine of not more than 5 million Korean won.

Patients must be informed in advance that surgery can be filmed, and a request form must be provided so that patients or their guardians can request filming.

Filming May Be Refused in the Following Cases

▲ Emergency surgery ▲ High-risk surgery that requires aggressive action to save the patient’s life ▲ Concerns that the filming will interfere with the purpose of the specialist’s training ▲ Requests for filming immediately before surgery

“As the system is new to the medical field, patients and medical staff may have difficulty adapting to the system in the early stages of implementation. The Korean government will strengthen on-site communication during the implementation process to build trust between patients and medical staff,” said Lee Hyung-hoon, a healthcare policy official at the Ministry of Health and Welfare