A doctor who was suspected of reusing syringes and causing hundreds of hepatitis C infections has been found dead in an apparent suicide, police said Friday.

Wonju Police said that the 59-year-old doctor surnamed Noh was found at his home in Gwangwon Province. He was pronounced dead after he was moved to a nearby hospital. No suicide note was found, they said.

The doctor, who ran an orthopedic clinic, was under investigation on suspicion of reusing syringes for platelet-rich plasma injections and infecting hundreds of patients with hepatitis C.

The Welfare Ministry is currently conducting a virus test for the outpatients who had received injections from the clinic. As of late last month, a total of 217 patients were found to have contracted the virus.

The number of infection may well be much larger, as only 10 percent of some 15,400 patients who had been treated with injections at the clinic since its opening in September 2004 have been tested, the health authorities said.

Investigators had banned the doctor from leaving the country and expanded the probe to about 30 clinic nurses. Noh was summoned to appear for a second time soon.

The investigation was launched after patients reported contracting hepatitis C after having the platelet-rich plasma injections injections in April last year.
A month later, he closed his clinic and opened a new one in another area, while denying the allegations.

Meanwhile, two other clinics are also under investigation for reusing syringes. More than 60 outpatients at a Seoul clinic were found to have been infected with hepatitis C from injections. Another clinic in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, was also confirmed to have had one infected patient. Virus testing is still underway for patients of both clinics, they added.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)