 |
| Ambulance in Japan illustration |
An elderly man died after numerous hospitals just refused to treat him, according to a statement released by police in Japan.
The 75-year-old man of Saitama Prefecture, Japan, has died after being refused treatment as much as 36 times at 25 different hospitals of the city.
It all began when the retired man of Kuki City, Saitama called an ambulance, stating that he was experiencing chest pains. Although the ambulance arrived quickly and the man was loaded into the truck, the patient was then taken to various hospitals in and outside the city in search of one that would take him in. About three hours after being picked up, the man was declared dead in a hospital in neighboring Ibaraki Prefecture.
The man was refused treatment in a total of 25 hospitals, with reasons such as "lack of available medical equipment" and "lack of beds" being given, stressing that the authorities are struggling to keep hospitals adequately staffed during holidays and weekends.
According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Fire and the Disaster Management Agency, more than 17,000 cases of emergency patients refused treatment in three or more hospitals were recorded in 2011.
“This was an outrageous incident. I am sure that a hospital can provide emergency care when a person is on the verge of death. The police need to crack down on these hospitals in order to make sure such an incident does not repeat itself,” Lorraine Madison, 29, of Mesa, Arizona told YourJewishNews.com after being asked to comment about the hospitals refusing treatment.
A representative of Kuki City is quoted as admitting that being denied medical care more than 36 times was excessive.