Patient's severed toe found in Seoul nursing hospital fridge alongside food

South Korean authorities are investigating a nursing hospital in Seoul after a patient's severed toe was found in the facility's kitchen refrigerator. The toe had reportedly been stored in a disposable porridge container for about two weeks, alongside drinks and condiments, before being discovered by the patient's family during a visit.

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The toe had been placed in a disposable porridge container and kept in the fridge for about two weeks, alongside drinks and condiments, until the patient’s family visited and found it.

The toe is believed to belong to a man in his 60s with an intellectual disability who had resided at the hospital for a decade. According to the patient's family, they were informed in March that one of his toes had detached. Hospital staff explained that the man had fallen while being moved in a wheelchair for a bath, causing a toe already affected by skin necrosis to come off. However, the family stated they were unaware of a pre-existing foot ulcer diagnosis, despite it being documented in the hospital's nursing records since December.

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When they called the hospital, staff members told them the man had fallen while being moved in a wheelchair for a bath, causing a toe already affected by skin necrosis to come off.

The incident raises concerns about potential violations of South Korea's Waste Control Act, which mandates that medical waste be kept in designated containers. Storing human tissue with food items could also breach food sanitation regulations. The hospital defended its actions, claiming it lacked a suitable container for the toe and that a nurse had placed it in the refrigerator as an urgent response. Following the report, the Ministry of Health announced it would request the local government to conduct an administrative investigation into the hospital.

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The patient’s family said they had not been informed that he had been diagnosed with a foot ulcer, even though it had been documented in the hospital’s nursing records since December.