TOKYO —

Police will investigate medicine-related cases ‘‘carefully’’ in the wake of Wednesday’s ruling that acquitted an obstetrician over the death of a woman in a cesarean operation in 2004, the head of the National Police Agency said Thursday. ‘‘Looking into the future, it is necessary that the police cope with investigations into medical performance in a careful and appropriate manner,’’ NPA Commissioner General Hiroto Yoshimura said at a news conference. Yoshimura said it is not easy for the police to determine how to cope with incidents and accidents in the medical field. ‘‘Police investigations must not prompt doctors to become passive when making critical decisions about what specific measures should be employed to save patients from potential death,’’ he said.

Yoshimura also said the NPA will conduct ‘‘close coordination with relevant authorities’’ to establish a system to build confidence in medicine by patients and their families, when asked about an investigative committee on medical safety the government plans to create. On Wednesday, the Fukushima District Court acquitted obstetrician Katsuhiko Kato of charges that he caused a 29-year-old woman to die from blood loss during a C-section at Ono Hospital in Okuma, Fukushima Prefecture, in 2004. Prosecutors alleged that Kato, 40, had removed the placenta, which was firmly attached to the woman’s uterus, without taking any risk aversion measures during the C-section at the prefecture-run hospital on Dec. 17, 2004, although he was aware that the detachment might cause severe bleeding. The indictment of a doctor over a standard medical practice—not for evident malpractice—sparked a backlash in medical circles, with more than 100 related groups releasing unprecedented statements such as, ‘‘Criminal and judicial authorities unreasonably intervened in normal medical operations.’’

Kyodo

4 Comments

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  OgieDoggie at 07:36 AM JST - 22nd August

  Police will investigate medicine-related cases ‘‘carefully’’

  Is this double-speak for "we will turn and look the other way from now on"???

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  medievaltimes at 08:29 AM JST - 22nd August

  If he would have said "its extremely regrettable" or "from the bottom of my heart" or "sorry for causing misunderstanding/confusion" I would believe him.

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  MrMukatsuku at 11:58 AM JST - 22nd August

  If you are a patient, you have put yourself in someone elses care. If they fail to deliver adequate, suitable and timely care, then they are responsible for the consequences.

  A simple analogy is leaving your child at school. The school is responsible for the protection of your children while they are at school. If anything happens to your child at school, the school (Teacher, Administrator) takes responsibility.

  However, in Japan, taking responsibility doesn't seem to enter the equation, instead, blame is shifted onto someone else.

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  mikihouse at 03:35 PM JST - 22nd August

  yes I agree MrMukatsuku that the Dr has responsibility but so does the patient. As an analogy, if you leave your child to the school and the child violated some rules and got injured then it is not the school responsibility. For example the teacher said that the students must not go to the pool when it is not supervised yet the child went still and got drowned then it is not the school responsibility.

  A patient ignoring common sense like being told that a second baby is not an option because a very high risk of life threathening complication yet stubbornly, willfully ignored the doctors request then when asked to go to a bigger hospital because her case requires special surgeon yet not wanting to spend money on hospitalization rushed to the maternity clinic, in labor and pain and both the mother and child is dying and the doctor telling the patient that the uterus must also be removed but the patient again does not wanted it to be removed and died because of stubborness, THEN WHY THE HELL DO YOU SUE THE DOCTOR?

  Can the doctor then sue the patient in this case MrMukatsuku?

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