InfoAnda - Japan's hospitals slam doors on emergency cases

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

US envoy due in Seoul on N. Korea nuclear mission | 6 December 2009
Kate Moss Ruins Best Friend's Bachelorette Party By Fighting With Male Strippers | 29 July 2009
India car sales hit record high lifted by recovery | 9 February 2010

India unveils populist railway budget and ducks reform | 26 February 2011

">Forum Views () ">Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : Japan's hospitals slam doors on emergency cases

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail Yahoo! Search Search: Sign InNew User? Sign Up News Home - Help Navigation Primary Navigation Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Secondary Navigation Asia Pacific World Search Search: Japan's hospitals slam doors on emergency cases AFP - Tuesday, April 28 SANGO, Japan (AFP) - - Shinsuke Takasaki's son Sota is too young to understand that his mother might still be alive if 18 hospitals had not denied her treatment when she complained of headaches during labour. ADVERTISEMENT The question of how this could happen still baffles his father, as well as medical experts in Japan, one of the world's richest countries which has long been proud of its high standard of universal health care. The case of Mika Takasaki, who was 32 when she died, is one of many that has shaken the medical system and led to warnings that emergency wards are nearing collapse. She was hours away from giving birth at a hospital in the family's western home prefecture of Nara in August 2006 when she complained of a severe headache and then lost consciousness. Her doctor tried to transfer her to a better equipped facility -- but 18 hospitals turned her down, either saying they were full or that doctors were too busy. Six hours after she passed out, Mika Takasaki was admitted to a hospital in neighbouring Osaka prefecture, by which time she was in a coma with a brain hemorrhage. "She received surgery and a Cesarean-section," her bereaved 26-year-old husband, a security guard, told AFP as Sota romped around the house. "The baby was born, but she passed away eight days later. She never regained consciousness. She probably didn't know her child was born. She never saw him." A string of similar cases have made headlines in recent months. In October a 36-year-old woman in labour also died of a brain hemorrhage after being turned away by seven Tokyo hospitals. A 69-year-old cyclist injured in a road accident in Osaka died in February after 14 hospitals refused to accept him. On April 4, a 65-year-old man died from heart failure after seven hospitals rejected him in Miyazaki prefecture. These cases, although among the most shocking, are not isolated, officials said. Last year ambulances or medical centres had to make four or more calls to get hospital beds for severely injured or ill patients in 3.6 percent of cases, or for 14,732 people, said the Fire and Disaster Management Agency. Experts say people are being failed by the system because of a complex mix of economic, demographic, professional and legal factors. The number of emergency patients in Japan has surged by 20 percent over the past decade, due partly to the rapid aging of population, said emergency medicine expert Shuji Shimazaki. Japan's health expenses have ballooned to 33.13 trillion yen (340 billion dollars) in the year to March 2008, nearly double the cost of 20 years ago. The government sets the fees that both public and private hospitals can charge their patients. The trend has driven out of business many so-called level two hospitals that treat common injuries -- and shifted the burden to level three hospitals, which offer emergency care for critical patients. To guarantee income, many hospitals try to keep all beds occupied, leaving little room for when emergencies arrive, said Yasufumi Itani, deputy director of Kanagawa Children's Medical Centre near Tokyo. Patients are also to blame for over-crowding emergency wards with minor injuries and ailments, said Itani. "There is an illusion that medical care comes cheap," he said. "People want to go to the emergency room of a big hospital even for slight injuries, causing a congestion of patients there." As the government has tried to slash public health costs, many doctors have failed to earn what they deserve, said Shimazaki of the emergency centre of Tokyo's private Kyorin University Hospital. The allowance for working overnight has long been around 10,000 yen (100 dollars), he said -- about seven dollars per hour and less than a convenience store worker may earn. Work hours are gruelling -- it is not unusual for doctors to work 36 hours straight. A recent survey showed doctors at 10 emergency centres worked nearly 78 hours a week and had barely two days off a month. For all their troubles, they face the risk of being prosecuted for malpractice -- which is dealt with under criminal not civil law in Japan. "You don't want to be sued and end up in prison, or prosecuted for murder, as a result of your hard work," said Itani. Many young doctors have opted out of the trauma wards after reforms five years ago allowed medical school interns to choose their specialities and locations, and the ensuing exodus has only worsened the squeeze. Today Japan -- a country of 127 million -- has 2,500 doctors who specialise in emergency care, half the number the government estimates is needed. Facing a public outcry, the government plans to double spending on emergency care to 20.5 billion yen in fiscal 2009 from last year. It's high time, said Shimazaki, who warned that the spate of hospital rejections has caused "a strong sense of social insecurity" while the system is now "on the brink of collapse". Mika Takasaki's father-in-law has campaigned since her death for the establishment of a "fair third-party organisation" that would investigate possible medical malpractice cases. "Sota doesn't know he has no mother," said Kenji Takasaki. "But someday he will ask us why there is no mother in the family. When that day comes, I want to tell him that, thanks to his mother, the medical system has improved." Email Story IM Story Printable View Blog This Recommend this article 0 users recommend Sign in to recommend this article » Most Recommended Stories » Related Articles: Entertainment & Lifestyle US-ENTERTAINMENT SummaryReuters - 1 hour 17 minutes ago U.S. top court upholds TV profanity crackdownReuters - 1 hour 17 minutes ago Amanda Peet embarks on "Gulliver's Travels"Reuters - Wednesday, April 29 Russell Brand to star in 'Drop Dead Fred' redoReuters - Wednesday, April 29 Talent agencies William Morris, Endeavor mergeAP - Wednesday, April 29 Enlarge Photo Nurses are seen treating a patient at the Kyorin University Hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) room in Tokyo. The number of emergency patients in Japan has surged by 20 percent over the past decade, due partly to the rapid aging of the population, said Kyorin professor Shuji Shimazaki. Most Popular – Entertainment Viewed Swine flu spreads economic shivers GM, Chrysler in moves to avert bankruptcy 'Golden Girls' Beatrice Arthur, dead at 86 Deutsche Bank posts strong results GM seeks to trade debt for stock to avoid bankruptcy View Complete List » Search: Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Top Stories Most Popular Copyright © 2009 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Community - Intellectual Property Rights Policy - Help

Other News on Tuesday, 28 April 2009
Moderate earthquake shakes southern Mexico | International |
Darfur is now a low-intensity conflict: U.N | International |
Samsung plans first Android phone for Europe | Technology |
FTC says Internet firms near last chance | Technology |
The Dead come alive at Madison Square Garden | Entertainment |
Geena Davis makes independent film debut at Tribeca | Entertainment |
Michael Keaton to debut as feature film director | Entertainment |
New York Dolls still rocking to their own beat | Entertainment |
Ghosts of Girlfriends Past a true terror | Entertainment |
Fear a high school reunion? Hire a stripper | Entertainment |
World battles to curb deadly Mexico flu strain | International |
Israel marks Memorial Day as peace remains elusive
Mexico City stays on feet despite flu crisis | International |
Learning from SARS, China vows swift flu reporting | International |
Iraq doubts possibility of keeping US in cities
Peru grants asylum to Venezuelan opposition leader | International |
Hamas, Fatah in Cairo in 'last' bid to end feud
Deutsche Bank posts strong results
CORRECTED
Japan, China summit to focus on positive, not feuds | International |
GM, Chrysler in moves to avert bankruptcy
Clamour in Iraq for justice over deadly U.S. raid
Fed to maintain support for struggling economy
Holocaust denier jailed for 5 years in Austria | International |
Abbas refuses to recognise Israel as Jewish state
GM seeks to trade debt for stock to avoid bankruptcy
Paraguayans glued to presidential paternity scandal | International |
British PM touts anti-terror strategy
US 'ready to lead' climate change fight: Clinton
Brown takes new strategy to Afghanistan, Pakistan | International |
Obama keeps climate pledge, but Congress is key
No stopping Deccan Chargers in IPL
US 'ready to lead' climate change fight: Clinton
HP unveils ProBook laptop line | Technology |
Cablevision rolls out super-fast Internet access | Technology |
2009 MacArthur nonprofit grant recipients
US-TECH Summary
MacArthur annual grants go to 9 nonprofits
What cereal are you? Job interview queries on Web | Technology |
Cablevision rolls out super-fast Internet access
Thomson gets more time to settle record debt
Tornado damages school, homes in Texas
HP unveils ProBook laptop line
US reaction to swine flu more muted than elsewhere
Carla stars in Sarkozy state visit to Spain
Apple sued for stifling iPod tricks
Fiancee loves Craigslist suspect, but wedding off?
IBM computer to take on humans on TV quiz show
Judge upholds $100M Mattel verdict over Bratz
Child rapist cult leader escapes jail in chopper
US Army enlists Facebook, Twitter
Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders to 'talk peace' in May
Democrats announce agreement on budget pact
GE unveils storage technology breakthrough
Belarus leader meets Pope in landmark trip
Swedish Internet firm to delete user data
Leno back on the stage, joking about his illness
Samsung plans first Android phone for Europe
US-TECH Summary
HP unveils ProBook laptop line
Samsung plans first Android phone for Europe
Wolverine Mexico release delayed by swine flu | Entertainment |
China delays weapons verdict for "living Buddha"
ABC in talks to renew Scrubs | Entertainment |
Nine killed in Thailand's restive south: police
For some, TV cures loneliness | Entertainment |
Flaming Lips prepare for Oklahoma honor | Entertainment |
Australia takes 'hard-line' position on Fiji: PM
Japan FM says Indiana Jones trivialises nuke threat
Lions Gate signs distribution deal | Entertainment |
9 killed by suspected insurgents in Thailand
Human Rights Watch calls on Malaysia to end abuses
Sri Lanka shelling civilian areas: Tiger rebels
Refugees kids in Malaysia help Burma storm victims
Fijian police detain 6 under emergency rule
Tempe goes Hollywood for 'Wolverine' premiere
Asia ramps up flu protection
Fox reschedules "Sit Down, Shut Up"
Two big Hollywood talent agencies merge
India's Cipla says ready to supply flu drug copy
Honda Motor reports 1.9 bln dlr loss for Q4
Honda 4Q, fiscal year profits plunge, beats target
Japan Airlines sees 656 mln dollar annual loss
For some, TV cures loneliness
Palestinian theatre offers youths a breath of freedom
Citigroup to sell Japan assets to SMFG: report
Tempe goes Hollywood for 'Wolverine' premiere
RPT-UPDATE 2-S.Korea April consumer sentiment at 1-yr high
Leno back on the stage, joking about his illness
Worst over for Japanese economy: business chief
Tourists, hunters in quest for Iceland's whales
Seoul shares sink on U.S. bank report; techs fall
ABC in talks to renew Scrubs
China's loan growth remains strong in April
Snoop Dogg testifies in civil trial
US protectionism growing, says China trade chief
Fox reschedules "Sit Down, Shut Up"
Flaming Lips prepare for Oklahoma honor
Ohio city hands out tickets for free Leno shows
Pakistan begins new offensive against Taliban | International |
Iraq seizes group accused of car bombings
U.N. tells Sri Lanka president of casualty concerns | International |
Iraq shows 1st picture of suspected insurgent
Across Asia, mood calm but wary in face of swine flu threat | International |
Barak: Netanyahu will bend on Palestinian state
Iraq seizes group accused of car bombings | International |
Pope hears victims' silent cry in quake zone | International |
Afghan unrest kills five police, 12 militants
BP profit tumbles 62% on sliding oil prices
Court clears 3 men of plotting London 7/7 bombings | International |
Presidential hopeful says Ahmadinejad isolated Iran | International |
Somali gunmen free two European aid workers | International |
Egypt puts the bite on Gaza tunnel smugglers | International |
Lawmakers advancing much of Obama's budget agenda
Online gambling bill coming: Frank | Technology |
Iran denies jailed US journalist on hunger strike
IBM, Brocade boost ties as Cisco rivalry heats up | Technology |
Jump in consumer confidence lifts Wall Street
Conficker worm dabbling with mischief
Nokia drops U.S. operator billing from Ovi launch | Technology |
AP NewsAlert
Japan, China eye cooperation on mobile services
Recriminations after NYC jet flyover photo op
Japan, China may jointly develop mobile network
First lady to honor abolitionist Sojourner Truth
Trio cleared of involvement in London bombings
Colombian drug baron gets 30 years in US prison
Samsung plans first Android phone for Europe | Technology |
FDA approves emergency rules for antiviral drugs
Japan, China eye cooperation on mobile services | Technology |
EU court backs return of northern Cyprus property
Flush with class: Tenn. bathroom voted best in US
Somali gunmen free Belgian, Dutch aid workers
Lockerbie bomber begins appeal
Pope urges 'rebirth' of Italian quake zone
Richard Pratt, cardboard king, dies in Australia
Sri Lanka snubs Sweden as tensions over war mount
U.S. top court upholds TV profanity crackdown | Entertainment |
Doctors say suspect in Mumbai attacks is over 20
Shelling reported in Sri Lankan war zone
Russell Brand to star in Drop Dead Fred redo | Entertainment |
Singaporean gets for 18 yrs jail on terror charges
Amanda Peet embarks on Gulliver's Travels | Entertainment |
Swine flu spreads, containment seen as 'unfeasible'
Pakistan vows action if Taliban don't exit Buner
Separatists kill ten in southern Thailand
Report: Sumitomo Mitsui, Citigroup near deal
New Zealand confirms swine flu
Asia-Pacific airlines post $4.3 bln losses in 2008
Myanmar opposition to decide later about 2010 poll
Swine flu keeps investors, businesses on edge
Talent agencies William Morris, Endeavor merge
China Shenhua Energy's 1Q profit up 17.2 percent
Bank of China's 1Q net profit falls 14 percent
Swine flu keeps Asia businesses, investors on edge
NTT DoCoMo's annual profit falls 3.9 percent
4 vie for British art's contentious Turner Prize
Taiwan dollar slides on stocks, swine flu fears
Amanda Peet embarks on "Gulliver's Travels"
China shares mixed on lending growth jitters
Russell Brand to star in 'Drop Dead Fred' redo
Talent agencies William Morris, Endeavor merge
Japan's hospitals slam doors on emergency cases
Saudi more secure after 2003-2006 wave of attacks
Singaporean man gets 18 years on terror charges
Indonesian military plane makes emergency landing
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph	VPN on MacOSX	BlogMeter 1.01