Pregnant woman rejected by 7 hospitals in Tokyo, dies after delivery

Wednesday 22nd October, 03:52 PM JST

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LFRAgain at 08:51 AM JST - 23rd October

"A law should be made to not let hospitals, private or otherwise, to be able to turn away patients that are in need of emergency medical care"

Abso-fricken-lutely.
metacognition18 at 11:29 AM JST - 23rd October

So if I were pregnant that hospital wouldn't admit me unless my brain was hemorrhaging? So it goes by how "severe" of a condition I have (or how severe the hospital sees it) before the hospital would accept me as their patient? What's the purpose of a hospital then??? To HELP people? Just because they're under-staffed means they have to turn people away?

Sad. Very sad. I feel sorry for the family.
CavemanLawyer at 03:32 PM JST - 23rd October

There is one thing I found out, and I'm sure everybody will agree : life in Japan has less value than in any other industrialized country.

What utter nonsense. Rather than thinking this case or those like it prove such a thing, it would be wiser to look at some statistics that show how many die untimely deaths in industrialized countries. Look at things like infant mortality rates and murder. The Japanese approach things differently, and the numbers often prove them correct even where they deviate from our sense of what is right and wrong. --Cirroc
elbudamexicano at 03:59 PM JST - 23rd October

I feel very, very deeply sorry for the death of this poor pregnant women. I thank my lucky stars that even though both of my children were born here in Tokyo, they are extremely,super GENKI! Genki!GENKI! The ones who need the rest are my wife and I. But after hearing this sad news, I just want to love and protect my wife and children all the more. May this poor dead mother rest in peace. I also offer my condolences to all of her family.
mikihouse at 04:09 PM JST - 23rd October

first, raise the doctor's fee, second, hire more doctors...not part-time (most doctors are contractual renewable every year for maximum of 5 years), give doctor rest (they often work 36 hours per shift because the hospital wants to save money...of course there is no overtime fee for doctors here in Japan, they just say it is voluntary). If there is no doctor to treat a patient, why can't the hospital reject them? They need to find another hospital but wait...its full with sick, pretending to be sick, and simply lonely elderlies. To fix the problem is easy, but the truth is there is no money around. If the hospitals start paying doctors the way they should be, and hiring people the way they should be, then the hospital will be in red in a year and then closed in 5 years
jeancolmar at 08:53 PM JST - 23rd October

Thank you for the good word, meanmutha. I do have some practical advice to people who want to have children with regard to this story. Don't have children in Japan. If you cannot get out of Japan don't have children. This is not the first case where a pregnant woman was denied medical care and it won't be the last.
jmarc at 09:26 PM JST - 23rd October

Same story again !! woua !! really don't have child in japan if u can !! no wonder japanesse natality rate is so low.

and you would think that the 2006 tragedy was a lesson to work on.. guess it wasn't enought. I just hope such stories will not happen again.
rurika at 11:02 PM JST - 23rd October

"the doctor on duty was not aware that the woman had suffered a brain hemorrhage, noting that had the doctor known about it, the woman would have been admitted." If that's true, the system is badly messed up and needs to be reformed before any more preventable deaths occur. It still doesn't change the fact that she should have been admitted the first time. Doctors and surgeons working with emergency patients sometimes have to deliver babies by C-section before an obstetrician shows up. I fail to see how having only one obstetrician on duty prevented the hospital from admitting her. Treating a brain hemorrhage and performing a C-section are things emergency medical staff should know how to do.
dennis0bauer at 03:28 PM JST - 24th October

I never understood that, if i was in a hospital i would demand treatment. Japanese just apologize and go to the next hospital
Blue_Tiger at 05:27 PM JST - 24th October

rurika - This woman's OB/GYN telephoned the hospital that rejected her, but eventually accepted her before she passed, stating that she had complained of a severe headache prior to the ambulance being called. This Hospital ought to be shut down, and the tax-payer money that it took to build it and create the Specialized Emergency Room be given to build a real hospital....that, or totally remove the entirity of this Hospital's administration with people who will DO THE RIGHT FRIGGIN' THING in such a situation as this....
Blue_Tiger at 05:29 PM JST - 24th October

dennis0bauer - If I had been the ambulance driver, I'd have taken her to the first hospital anyway, and MADE them deal with the situation. After all, it was an EMERGENCY Hospital that has a specialized emergency unit for expecting mothers.
LadyO at 05:46 PM JST - 25th October

**mikihouse **- though your name is a Japan brand name, do you even LIVE in Japan and have to contend with the healthcare here? and by doctors fees, I hope you do not mean to pass on more cost to the "customer" aka patient. With so much "specialization" there is WAY too much "pass the buck", passing on of people due to either how the system is set up, the doctor being incompetent, or the staff all around lazy. Those here long enough know that finding a good doctor is not easy! Now while on the subject of healthcare, it is no wonder many people use ambulance since they are more fast and direct . . . at least in OUR area.

Dennis Obauer - just read your comment .. very true!! and part of my point via experiences (plural) here.
BurakuminDes at 02:01 AM JST - 28th October

Rest In Peace to this poor mother. I pray that her baby has a loving upbringing and will be told one day of the sacrifice her mum sadly had to make. What a sad indictment on the Japanese Health System this is. I can guarantee when my fiancee has her first baby, it will certainly not be in Japan. All this in a country where people wonder why no-one has babies anymore. God, you'd be better off flying over to China and having a kid than here, sad but very true.
marvenp at 11:48 AM JST - 28th October

True. Japan is the only I know of where a hospital 'closes'. I've gone to a hospital many times with what I thought may be an emergency only to be told we're closed, find another hospital with an emergency room. Being turned away at the door of ANY hospital is ludicrous. It's very sad that this woman died after bringing a child into this world only because no one cared enough to do the right thing instead of the convenient thing. And it's even sadder that the institution stands by that decision.
boobug at 12:16 PM JST - 28th October

Only in Japan are pregnant women turned away during the actual delivery of the child. This is a huge commentary on all aspects of Japanese society. Cold, uncaring, economically devastated, disorganized, and downright disgusting. The nation should hang its head in collective shame, as this is not the first time this has happened. In fact, getting turned away seems to be the norm and not the exception ! Where are the womens groups storming the political offices ? Oh yeh I forgot, I did say... "Uncaring" didn't I !