Asan Medical Center nurse dies after collapsing while on duty

A nursing staff member at Asan Medical Center, Seoul’s largest general hospital, died late last month after collapsing while on duty, local reports said Tuesday.

The reports, which were based on an anonymous post on Blind, a social app for workplace-related talk amongst verified workers, said the nurse fell unconscious in the wee hours of July 24, showing symptoms of a brain hemorrhage. 

But the hospital with over 2,700 beds had no neurosurgeon who could give an emergency surgery for the staff member, and the nurse had to be taken to the Seoul National University Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Most of the Asan Medical Center’s doctors were away to “attend forums,” except for a few on night shifts, according to local reports.