Lawmakers on Monday called for steps to block the misuse of propofol, a psychotropic drug, amid rising concerns over health risks.

They claim some hospitals have been wrongly overprescribing the anesthetic drug to patients who claimed to have sleep disorders. But there are no legal grounds to stop it, said Rep. Shin Eui-jin of the ruling Saenuri Party at a parliamentary audit session.

Propofol is a drug commonly used as an anesthetic for surgeries.

The lawmaker, citing a report by the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, said an unidentified patient had 59 propofol injections at a medical institution in South Gyeongsang Province within three months last year. The health agency has notified hospitals that prescribed propofol injections for unknown reasons too often that they would be denied insurance coverage. However, the hospitals may continue prescribing the drug for treatment use.

Propofol has been classified as a psychotropic drug since last year in Korea as an increasing number of people have become addicted to it. Experts say it causes hallucinations and may cause death if taken in excessive doses.

The drug was blamed for the death of pop star Michael Jackson three years ago.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)